A cotton scarf printed as a giveaway for the American Printed Fabrics Council conference in New York City, May 1981. It has a red border and a cream colored center with hearts scattered throughout the center.
Organized in 1966, the American Printed Fabrics Council was a trade organization that promoted the interests of the nation’s fabric printing firms – at a time when shifts in fiber content, dyestuffs, and printing technologies were making the business a difficult one in which to compete. The organization had successes at first, given credit for advertising campaigns that extended the market share of printed textiles for apparel and furnishings above 20%. The Council gave out “Tommy” awards for textile design into the late 1980s. The award was named for the “tommy keys” that controlled the pressure of the rollers against the fabric on printing machines. The organization briefly became the Printed Fabrics Council, but is not currently active, as the US textile industry declined precipitously in the 1990s.
Dimensions: 28” Square, hemmed.
ATHM Collection: # 2003.192; Gift of Dee DeRoche