If you use patterns, the chances are you know who Simplicity New Look are. However, even if you are not an avid sewer there is a chance that you have come across the company as well, just in a slightly different format.
Patterns For the Home Seamstress
The company started out as the Simplicity Pattern Company. It was founded in 1927 in New York. From the start, they targeted the home tailor, and their patterns were an immediate hit.
At the time, the US was going through the Great Depression. This meant that the majority of households were really struggling to make ends meet. As a result, being able to make good quality clothes in the home was very important. Simplicity patterns allowed people to re-work their existing garments into new ones and to make the best use of any new fabric they could afford to buy. In 1931, they opened their first factory in Michigan.
It is Simplicity patterns most people have seen in about the home. My grandmother and mother bought many of their early patterns and used them, for decades, to make their own clothes. However, I only ever made one suit for myself. My generation was the one that lost the habit of making clothes meaning that my children and grandchildren have never heard of Simplicity patterns.
However, the company did not simply fade away, far from it. Today, their patterns are sold in Canada, England, Australia and are distributed by third party labels in Mexico, South Africa, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Romania and Scandinavia. They have had a loyal band of fans across the world for many years, and in some countries, sales have been growing steadily for years.
Their Website
Simplicity New Look is the name of the website, which the company is using to reach a new generation of home sewers. They use their site to show off their collection of patterns and to provide other helpful materials for home tailors. Importantly, the site provides help and advice in a range of formats. This is helping people who are completely new to sewing to get started and learn the joy of making their own clothes.
If you like to sew, you will love the Simplicity New Look website. There you will find everything you need to enjoy making clothes in your own home.
