Pongees: Silks for Every Creative Mood
PONGEES
For more than 80 years, British business Pongees, specialists in luxury silks, has been working with the world’s leading designers, providing fabrics of the highest quality for every creative mood.
Pongees offers a collection that comprises an extensive range of plain dyed, embroidered and jacquard silks, including tulles, chiffons, crepes, douppions, habotais, organzas, velvets and mohair. The company meets the exacting demands of couturiers, fashion, bridal and lingerie designers and manufacturers, luxury retail brands, costumiers and interiors specialists. Fabrics are sourced from leading mills in the UK, France, Italy and Asia.
Pongees holds stock of all fabrics so the minimum order is 1 metre and it can despatch speedily to anywhere in the world.
Pongees prides itself on the colour options it offers, with some qualities available in more than 100 shades.
Pongees has a transactional website so while during the COVID-19 pandemic it has not been possible to meet customers in person due to travel restrictions and national and regional lockdowns, designers have been able to see the full collection online. The company has seen a greater uptake for its shade cards and swatches which can also be ordered online (or direct from the Pongees customer service team).
“Appreciating the handle of a fabric is just as important as its shade and price,” says managing director Nick Moore.
CONTACT
sales@pongees.com | Tel:+44 (0) 20 7739 9130
One of the best-known British fashion and textile designers Dame Zandra Rhodes used Pongees silks for her Golden Hours collection. Here is a design featuring both plain and printed versions of the silks, which were also used for the draping on the set. Photographer: Imogen Cleverley.
Working with the Queen of Fibres
Glamorous eveningwear by Suzie Turner.
Most of Pongees ranges are 100 per cent mulberry silk, but this Queen of Fibres is also combined with other yarns to further extend its versatility. Silk/wool mix adds the lustre of silk to the warmth of wool such as in a British-made mohair which is great for coats and interiors. There is also a silk/cotton mix, which is a popular choice for dresses and blouses, where the silk adds softness to the sturdier cotton.
By combining silk with synthetic threads, such as polyester or viscose, this delivers fabrics that combine the luxury of the natural fibre with wrinkle-resistant qualities of the man-made yarns.
The weaving and knitting of the world’s most luxurious fibre means that the fabric may contain minor variations and irregularities. These are characteristics of silk yarn and should not be treated as defects.
80 YEAR HISTORY
For over 80 years Pongees has been regarded by the global fashion industry as the silk fabric specialists. Pongees origins lie in Switzerland, a country that has historical connections in silk trading with China for hundreds of years. In the mid 19th century, Ostertag Hausamann Faes was established and quickly became a leading silk trader.
In 1931, a branch office was opened in London under the name Pongees Ltd - pongee being a generic term for a group of Chinese silks that were especially popular at that time. The main objective was to sell mainly greige fabric for the printing industry for silk ties and scarves.
Aristocrat Kids produced some stunning designs in Pongees fabrics.
IN STOCK, LOW MINIMUMS, READY TO SHIP
Lampshades in Pongees Indian douppion by Jennifer Fraser.
Pongees fabrics are available from stock, with a 1 metre minimum order. More than 1000 fabrics are held in its UK warehouse. Delivery is fast by UPS or customers can use their preferred shipper.
Selection of Pongees silks.
Pongees values: people and the environment
Pongees has pulled together a selection of silks in its yellow and grey palettes inspired by PANTONE® colours of the year 17-5104 Ultimate Gray and PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating.
Pongees believes everyone should be treated with respect and work in a safe environment, that employment is freely chosen, working conditions are safe and hygienic, child labour is not used, Living Wages are paid and working hours are not excessive.
Pongees actively promotes improving the impact the business has on the environment and the proportion of materials and components which are obtained from sustainable sources. As a silk supplier Pongees fabric is entirely woven from fibres that come from natural sources, are biodegradable, and support a low environmental impact.
Suppliers are required to disclose the material characteristics and health and safety information of the products that they supply in compliance with the relevant trading standards legislation.
WHY WE RECOMMEND PONGEES TO ALL DESIGNERS
Spanish designer Eva Iszoro, founder of Accidental Cutting, has been inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic and her designs, with their random and abstract geometric shapes, feature her experimental cutting method. “We love to be involved with designers who are pushing the boundaries of creativity,” says Nick Moore, Pongees managing director.
Apart from the superior quality of their natural silk fabrics:
• Designers Can Buy Small Quantities: Minimum 1 metre (1 yard) for sampling with the confidence that the fabric of their choice is immediately available when a design goes into full production as Pongees keeps stock of all its fabrics.
• From Couturiers to Students - Pongees Caters to All: All buyers are treated equally, irrespective of the size of their order or frequency of purchase. Pongees works with leading couturiers and major brands, as well as fashion students looking for fabric for projects and their final year collections.
• One-On-One Consulting: Pongees’ knowledgeable sales team is ready to help designers and fabric buyers secure the right fabric for their collections.
Selection of Pongees silks.
Hand-painted design on Pongees organza by Miami Meguerditchian of Miami Couture.
For designers who want to create an even more individual look, Pongees plain dyed silks are ideal for personalising with a print, hand painting or embroidery. Pongees also supplies most of its fabric qualities in greige/natural, prepared for printing and can bespoke dye for customers (minimum quantities apply).