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Today, I bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor, Ace & Jig. In their words:
"A main drive behind ace&jig was focus and clarity. We wanted to create a seasonless women's collection loosely based on one fabrication. Not denim, tees or knitwear, we wanted to create our own yarn-dye woven fabric. A fabric that could lead many lives, and tell many stories. We wanted to create effortless clothes where the fabric could speak for itself. Our search led us to India where we found our ideal manufacturer. Textile specialists for over twenty five years, our partner has an ancient hand loom on site where we can work with the weavers one on one. Equally important, they share our same morals and values while practicing the holistic kaizen philosophy of continuing to improve. Not only do they provide free childcare, but they also use reclaimed water to grow organic produce for their employees. We wanted to manipulate this cloth into aesthetically beautiful yet functional items. Accessible clothes that are not overstyled, pieces that you keep forever and love. Our silhouettes hope to be quintessential pieces that live and travel with you.
Our website is a presentation of the Ace&Jig aesthetic for the general public. It showcases the clothing that is created to best represent the moral fiber of the brand and the press that have explored its elements."
SouleMama: Tell us about your background. What path led you to the work you do today?
Ace & Jig: Jenna hails from our Northern neighbor in Vancouver, Canada and Cary is from Virginia. Both of us have design degrees-Jenna’s being from FIT and Cary’s from Savannah College of Art & Design. So, we both share a sturdy grasp on our fashion roots. The spark that ignited the infectious fashion seed for us began in early girlhood when both of us took the hands on approach to style: Cary was happily immersed while sorting through her grandmother’s antique collection and Jenna meticulously knitted various clothes for her beloved cats. Neither of us has ever entertained doing anything other than what we are doing now- designing and creating effortless, unique and one-of-a-kind women’s wear. Previous to the birth of Ace & Jig in 2010, (quite literally birth- we both had children-Ace is the initials of Cary’s daughter Alice and Jig the initials of Jenna’s son James) we treaded in the fugacious fashion waters as the creative directors of the ultra trendy brand LaRok. The shift over to creating Ace & Jig was a natural step for us because we wanted to create pieces that were a portrayal of our creative thoughts for our friends, as well as ourselves! Ace & Jig’s aesthetic is a natural portrait of our shared sense of fashion and is our way of expressing the luminosity of timeless, comfortable and easily worn garments.
SouleMama: What inspires you?
Ace & Jig: We are totally under the influence of textiles. Ace & Jig is a truly romantic story about textiles - one of the alluringly potency and warmth of a tangible and wearable art. European vintage burlap sacks that have sustained a time lost with grace and beauty or the vibrant hues incorporated into daily life in India, (where our manufacturer is) turning the mundane into something no less than a vision. We are known to shamelessly rummage through anonymous baskets at a flea market brimming over with a true smorgasbord of materials. This tangible experience propels us into a creative space because we are able to freely explore the many faces of textiles old and new. Inspirational material is so subjective! To the extent that our children’s creative endeavors (whether it be a finger painting or necklace) translate into creative thoughts. And of course, those halcyon moments that burst brilliantly through the constant movement of running a business make the inspiration all the more feasible.
SouleMama: What's your favorite part of your job? The most challenging?
Ace & Jig: Something that we both cherish is that we are able to be our own bosses! This entails making our own schedules and having the luxury of our own space and time to design and develop. It certainly cultivates a less stressful working environment. Working beside your best friend isn’t too bad either! Another added positive is that we were able to create a business that is very personal and organic. We travel to India several times a year to participate in the creative process of choosing our dyes and experiencing the daily life (our kiddos savor the colorful goodies we schlep home with us and we savor the Indian cuisine!). These trips help us to remain in touch throughout the whole creative production of our one-of-a kind pieces. We work closely with a man who has been running the looms and space to develop textiles for over 25 years! He is truly a seasoned “textile guru”. There is childcare available for all of the workers, fresh fruits and vegetables grown on site, all clothes are hand dyed, and all materials that can be recycled- are. Our manufacturing facility attributes their success to following the Kaizen philosophy, which was originated in Japan and stresses the importance of improvement with every day. We have honestly lucked out with the discovery of our manufacturer. Happy workers translate into happy clothes! Now, we are not to go on without mentioning how challenging running a business can be- between the paperwork, accounting and overall management there are days when the creative juices are utterly stagnant and completely untapped. Alas, it is the gift of our trips to India that we truly cherish.
SouleMama: How does the balance of work and family play out for you?
Ace & Jig: Ace & Jig is a projection of our lifestyle; so we try to incorporate one with the other. We just gave a cool presentation to Alice and James’s classes at school about the process of weaving including dyeing of yarn and handlooms. Three/ four year olds produce can produce amazing fabric! If Alice and James are invigorated by an awesome experience with our clothes whether it is seeing how it is made or feeling the fabrics for themselves- we are doing something right. Times like these assure us that we manifest bouts of balance! We recognize that there is more opportunity for us to balance our lives as mothers through our capacity to “rule the roost” and be our own bosses.
For today's giveaway, Ace & Jig is generously offering the following THREE separate giveaway gifts:
The Vermillion Weekend Dress
The Boro Pocket Skirt
The Provence Pullover
(All photographed above. Not all sizes are available for all pieces, but we'll work with you to find something just right. As we mentioned- all of our pieces are made with one-of-a-kind fabrics!)
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To enter today's giveaway, please leave a comment (one entry per person, please) in today's post. I'll close comments by 8am EST on Sunday, and announce the winner(s), chosen via Random Number Generator, shortly after. Comments closed! The winners are:
The Weekend Dress ~
Great designs, yet it is the story of the textiles and the weavers/makers in India that really intrigues me. A wonderful partnership to hear about, and to support. Thank you for the introduction!
Posted by: Andrea in VT
The Pocket Skirt ~
COVET! Oh yes, please. :)
Posted by: m
The Pullover ~
they are living the dream! Inspiring
Posted by: Marie
Thank you to Ace & Jig!
