Up Tied was an American textile house specialising in

tie-dye Tie-dye is a term used to describe a number of resist dyeing techniques and the resulting dyed products of these processes. The process of tie-dye typically consists of folding, twisting, pleating, or crumpling fabric or a garment, before binding ...

d fabrics founded in 1968 by the husband and wife team Will and Eileen Richardson and Eileen's brother, Tom Pendergast. They won a special Coty Award for "major creativity in fabrics" in 1970.

Company history

Will Richardson and his wife, who had worked as window-dressers, were given fabric samples by the

Rit Rit is a brand of dye A dye is a colored substance that chemically bonds to the substrate to which it is being applied. This distinguishes dyes from pigments which do not chemically bind to the material they color. Dye is generally applied i ...

company, which Will declared he could do better. When challenged by Rit to prove it, Will and Eileen taught themselves in four days to tie-dye, producing a range of fabrics which met with the company's approval. The Richardsons subsequently showed their tie-dyed velvets and chiffons to fashion editors and designers, although with little success until

Halston Roy Halston Frowick (April 23, 1932 – March 26, 1990), known mononymously as Halston, was an American fashion designer who rose to international fame in the 1970s. His minimalist, clean designs, often made of cashmere or ultrasuede, were ...

, who admired the technique's "limp, sensuous quality", placed a $5,000 order. When made up by Halston, Up Tied textiles were worn by the likes of

Ali MacGraw Elizabeth Alice MacGraw (born April 1, 1939) is an American actress and activist. She gained attention with her role in the film ''Goodbye, Columbus'' (1969), for which she won the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer. She gained an ...

Naomi Sims Naomi Ruth Sims (March 30, 1948 – August 1, 2009) was an American model, businesswoman, and author, She was the first African-American model to appear on the cover of '' Ladies' Home Journal'', which occurred in November 1968, and is widely c ...

, and Liza Minnelli. The Richardsons, after less than a year in business, were being called the "best tie-dyers in the city", namely, New York City where they had a studio near

Chinatown, Manhattan Manhattan's Chinatown () is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City, bordering the Lower East Side to its east, Little Italy to its north, Civic Center to its south, and Tribeca to its west. With an estimated population of 90,000 to 1 ...

, on the floor above the Chinese American Democratic Union. In 1970, they were awarded a Special Coty Award alongside a number of other designers, such as Giorgio di Sant' Angelo, Alexis Kirk and Clifton Nicholson; whose work combined ethnic themes and influences with fine craftsmanship and an appreciation of

folk art Folk art covers all forms of visual art made in the context of folk culture. Definitions vary, but generally the objects have practical utility of some kind, rather than being exclusively decorative. The makers of folk art are typically tr ...

techniques. Up Tied's use of what was described as an "ancient Oriental art" of dying textiles fitted in with this theme. For the Coty fashion show, Up Tied's section was modelled by six dancers choreographed by

Murray Louis Murray Louis (November 4, 1926 – February 1, 2016) was an American modern dancer and choreographer. Life Louis was known as one of the most influential American modern dancers and choreographers. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he grew up in Manh ...

. Along with Halston, the fashion designers Donald Brooks and Gayle Kirkpatrick also used Up Tied fabrics. In 1971, the Richardsons gave a how-to lesson to '' Look'' where they demonstrated techniques for creating tie-dye fish and

origami ) is the Japanese art of paper folding. In modern usage, the word "origami" is often used as an inclusive term for all folding practices, regardless of their culture of origin. The goal is to transform a flat square sheet of paper into a f ...

patterns upon alongside men's

vests A waistcoat ( UK and Commonwealth, or ; colloquially called a weskit), or vest ( US and Canada), is a sleeveless upper-body garment. It is usually worn over a dress shirt and necktie and below a coat as a part of most men's formal wear. I ...

to create swimsuit tanks for women, alongside images of military surplus garments which they had customised by dying. According to Eileen, tie-dye fashions represented a "youthful trend away from rigidity and conformity".

References

{{Textile designers American textile designers Design companies established in 1968 1968 establishments in New York (state)