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About The Fool
The Fool Eureka Moments
Myrna and Ruti had so little money that they couldn't afford to buy expensive fabrics to make the clothes. Having a eureka moment they found that if they bought cheap cotton printed fabric in any colour they could then over dye the garments by hand resulting in colour ranges that became a trademark of The Fool.
Another one was as they couldn’t afford to pay for a train or bus, Myrna and Ruti had to hitchhike around the country carrying a bag of samples searching for shops that they thought likely to sell their hippie style clothes and without fail the shop keepers ordered and to their delight found that the clothes were so popular that they flew off the rails and re orders came in rapidly. Remember - There were no mobile phones or internet to search for this information at that time.
Myrna and Ruti had so little money that they couldn't afford to buy expensive fabrics to make the clothes. Having a eureka moment they found that if they bought cheap cotton printed fabric in any colour they could then over dye the garments by hand resulting in colour ranges that became a trademark of The Fool.
Another one was as they couldn’t afford to pay for a train or bus, Myrna and Ruti had to hitchhike around the country carrying a bag of samples searching for shops that they thought likely to sell their hippie style clothes and without fail the shop keepers ordered and to their delight found that the clothes were so popular that they flew off the rails and re orders came in rapidly. Remember - There were no mobile phones or internet to search for this information at that time.
The Fool design inspiration came from random sources, for example paintings in the Tate Modern. Ruti and Myrna would turn a shape around, a blouse, a skirt, a sleeve to see what else it could be, not being bound by strict rules of design. Often their misunderstandings of each other's ideas led to new brilliant designs which they were certain would sell. They had contact with formally trained pattern cutters who would insist that strict rules had to be obeyed for example a pocket MUST be a set size and set position on the garment!
"We got special permission as designers from The V&A Costume department as well as from The Bath Costume Museum to inspect carefully wrapped clothes to protect them as some of them were about 100 years old", Myrna.
"We got special permission as designers from The V&A Costume department as well as from The Bath Costume Museum to inspect carefully wrapped clothes to protect them as some of them were about 100 years old", Myrna.
The Fool designs were also inspired by a marvellous book Costume Patterns And Designs as well as Medieval tabard styles and Victorian ways of fastening a, of course, never had zips.
The Fool design concepts - We made one size fits all without using zips
Ruti - I knew about sewing from watching my mum making clothes when we were younger. I used to make my own clothes.by adapting ready made patterns to my own design ideas. Myrna didn’t have had any experience of that but from her fine art studies she had design ideas of shapes, and balance.
Myrna and I started off by making designs based on circles and squares and when we ran out of ideas we both did a pattern making course and we learned to the basics of making a block pattern. We were inspired by designer Jean Muir, cutting fabric on the bias which allowed for different sizes as it gives a stretch to the design. We didn’t want to use zips we used rouleau and tie fastenings instead.
We worked together designing and making women’s clothing for about 15 year. Then over the years we worked on various other creative projects,
Ruti - I knew about sewing from watching my mum making clothes when we were younger. I used to make my own clothes.by adapting ready made patterns to my own design ideas. Myrna didn’t have had any experience of that but from her fine art studies she had design ideas of shapes, and balance.
Myrna and I started off by making designs based on circles and squares and when we ran out of ideas we both did a pattern making course and we learned to the basics of making a block pattern. We were inspired by designer Jean Muir, cutting fabric on the bias which allowed for different sizes as it gives a stretch to the design. We didn’t want to use zips we used rouleau and tie fastenings instead.
We worked together designing and making women’s clothing for about 15 year. Then over the years we worked on various other creative projects,
The Fool designs
Yvonne - The Fool was there at the right time with amazing designs, no set in sleeves; every item they made was one size, no small medium or large. Everything was in straight lines, diagonal or bias cut so it was easy to train somebody. I took on a young girl called Eileen to train her, she would do all the straight lines with lace on about 8 rows of different fabrics and I would finish the skirt with more complex sewing. I did like their clothes.
I loved working for The Fool as they were a great bunch of girls. I worked a few Saturday for them in Camden Lock market where they had a stall.
Yvonne - The Fool was there at the right time with amazing designs, no set in sleeves; every item they made was one size, no small medium or large. Everything was in straight lines, diagonal or bias cut so it was easy to train somebody. I took on a young girl called Eileen to train her, she would do all the straight lines with lace on about 8 rows of different fabrics and I would finish the skirt with more complex sewing. I did like their clothes.
I loved working for The Fool as they were a great bunch of girls. I worked a few Saturday for them in Camden Lock market where they had a stall.
The Fool - Lucky finds
We had luck many times when we went to the East End of London when we went into old shops and found treasures which the shopkeepers rate at all. Once we found loads of lace fabric with the Coronation on it and other really old lace. See adventures
We had luck many times when we went to the East End of London when we went into old shops and found treasures which the shopkeepers rate at all. Once we found loads of lace fabric with the Coronation on it and other really old lace. See adventures
The Fool - A limitation becomes an assett - hand dyeing
Ruti & Myrna - As we had limited money and we aimed to use only natural cloth we would buy pure cotton fabric with a printed pattern on it, often in colours or pattern we didn’t like but that is why we started to experiment with hand dyeing the finished items which were made from a combination of printed fabric and lace inserts. Over dyeing produced something that became typical of The Fool designs creating a gradation of tone and colour and softening the printed patterns.
Ruti & Myrna - As we had limited money and we aimed to use only natural cloth we would buy pure cotton fabric with a printed pattern on it, often in colours or pattern we didn’t like but that is why we started to experiment with hand dyeing the finished items which were made from a combination of printed fabric and lace inserts. Over dyeing produced something that became typical of The Fool designs creating a gradation of tone and colour and softening the printed patterns.
The Fool - It was a very macho era
Myrna - When we went to wholesalers to buy fabric or trimmings or lace we got very rude and dismissive attention as we didn’t look like what designer should look like until they realised that we were going to buy a lot of things and offered us a chair or a cup of tea. Sometimes we walked out of the place holding up a wad of money, as we were angry that a manager or boss had followed us around the shop as though we were thieves.
Men mainly ran the wholesalers felt free to make sexual innuendo to both of us at any time and they would try and lightly touch us. it was the norm of the time. We learnt how to handle it and learnt how to banter back to make sure they weren’t too cheeky with us.
Myrna - When we went to wholesalers to buy fabric or trimmings or lace we got very rude and dismissive attention as we didn’t look like what designer should look like until they realised that we were going to buy a lot of things and offered us a chair or a cup of tea. Sometimes we walked out of the place holding up a wad of money, as we were angry that a manager or boss had followed us around the shop as though we were thieves.
Men mainly ran the wholesalers felt free to make sexual innuendo to both of us at any time and they would try and lightly touch us. it was the norm of the time. We learnt how to handle it and learnt how to banter back to make sure they weren’t too cheeky with us.
The Fool at the markets.
Every Saturday and Sundays no matter the weather Ruti and Myrna sold the dresses in Camden Lock market and Portobello Road market. They had to get other people to sell for them as well. Aury delivered the clothes, rails and covers then when trading stopped he came and brought everyone and the whole lot back. See adventures
Every Saturday and Sundays no matter the weather Ruti and Myrna sold the dresses in Camden Lock market and Portobello Road market. They had to get other people to sell for them as well. Aury delivered the clothes, rails and covers then when trading stopped he came and brought everyone and the whole lot back. See adventures
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The Fool at Festivals
One of the many festival Ruti and Myrna went to was the Glastonbury Festival. They had been going there for over four years. . . Myrna's story
One of the many festival Ruti and Myrna went to was the Glastonbury Festival. They had been going there for over four years. . . Myrna's story
The Fool and Publicity
Myrna - I managed to get articles in a trade magazine Drapers Record and later on in national newspapers the Guardian, Daily Mail and Time Out and wholesale customers found us and came to buy. I simply telephoned the editors and spoke about what we did. I discovered by the responses what they wanted to hear. Ruti and I at The Fool were so flexible and creative in the way we worked that when I told those journalists about our design ideas they genuinely were excited and intrigued by it all, so were happy to write something about us.
Myrna - I managed to get articles in a trade magazine Drapers Record and later on in national newspapers the Guardian, Daily Mail and Time Out and wholesale customers found us and came to buy. I simply telephoned the editors and spoke about what we did. I discovered by the responses what they wanted to hear. Ruti and I at The Fool were so flexible and creative in the way we worked that when I told those journalists about our design ideas they genuinely were excited and intrigued by it all, so were happy to write something about us.
The Fool- Living there
Myrna. I remember being permanently cold in bed at night as we had virtually no heating in the whole building. I remember having chilblains and freezing cold purple red fingers. In hindsight I have no idea why I didn’t go and buy some blankets, even second hand ones.
Myrna. I remember being permanently cold in bed at night as we had virtually no heating in the whole building. I remember having chilblains and freezing cold purple red fingers. In hindsight I have no idea why I didn’t go and buy some blankets, even second hand ones.
The Fool - Living there.
Nahem - It was chaos, messy in one sense. It was a very half made house.but so multicultural for the 1970s. There were always interesting characters working there, people from India, Arabia, two French Nuns, Africa, Ghana, the Caribbean, Pakistan, Bangladesh and many Irish.
Nahem - It was chaos, messy in one sense. It was a very half made house.but so multicultural for the 1970s. There were always interesting characters working there, people from India, Arabia, two French Nuns, Africa, Ghana, the Caribbean, Pakistan, Bangladesh and many Irish.
The Fool - Living there
Ruti - Although our living conditions were poor and basic we never felt deprived. Everything was in-house. We cooked everything from scratch. It wasn’t a cafe society at that time.
Ruti - Although our living conditions were poor and basic we never felt deprived. Everything was in-house. We cooked everything from scratch. It wasn’t a cafe society at that time.
The Fool - Living there
Laila - I remember the basement with a bath full of dye: the workshop in the basement on All Saints Road: The smell of musty fabric before the wash rushing up my nostrils as i walked down the stairs to the cutting room.
A table as large as the huge room, layers and layers of velvet folded inside out.
Laila - I remember the basement with a bath full of dye: the workshop in the basement on All Saints Road: The smell of musty fabric before the wash rushing up my nostrils as i walked down the stairs to the cutting room.
A table as large as the huge room, layers and layers of velvet folded inside out.
People who worked for the Fool
Yvonne from Ireland made our first samples.
A skillful mixed-race Scottish girl worked sewing side-by-side with a French nun in a habit and sometimes clashed as she used swear words a lot. They were from different world and sometimes did not see eye to eye.
The man from Bangladesh did the ironing, came smartly dressed as though he was off to a City office. His great grandfather was Queen Victoria’s bodyguard.
One of the many Irish people who worked with us did the hand dyeing in the only bath in the house, so when any of us in the family wanted to have a bath the bath was pink or green or whatever colour that has just been used for the dyeing.
Another, gentle French nun worked with us doing finishing work.
Two people from Aden did sewing from their homes; one of whom was Ruti's mum
Yvonne from Ireland made our first samples.
A skillful mixed-race Scottish girl worked sewing side-by-side with a French nun in a habit and sometimes clashed as she used swear words a lot. They were from different world and sometimes did not see eye to eye.
The man from Bangladesh did the ironing, came smartly dressed as though he was off to a City office. His great grandfather was Queen Victoria’s bodyguard.
One of the many Irish people who worked with us did the hand dyeing in the only bath in the house, so when any of us in the family wanted to have a bath the bath was pink or green or whatever colour that has just been used for the dyeing.
Another, gentle French nun worked with us doing finishing work.
Two people from Aden did sewing from their homes; one of whom was Ruti's mum
People who worked for the Fool
Ruti mum's story
When our family were uprooted from Aden my mother had to find ways of surviving to fund us all.
A friend introduced her to a curtain factory in London where they worked by piece work paid by how many completed items you can make. As she had only used a domestic sewing machine before she came home depressed as she couldn't make any money as she was too slow working on fast industrial sewing machines.
A friend encouraged her that she would get faster in time and she did.
Ruti mum's story
When our family were uprooted from Aden my mother had to find ways of surviving to fund us all.
A friend introduced her to a curtain factory in London where they worked by piece work paid by how many completed items you can make. As she had only used a domestic sewing machine before she came home depressed as she couldn't make any money as she was too slow working on fast industrial sewing machines.
A friend encouraged her that she would get faster in time and she did.
The Fool - Working there Wisdom Learnt
Wisdom we had to learn. So called friends would come and socialise with us during our working day oblivious how busy we all were running our business, wholesalers coming to buy, retail customers coming in and the workshop going full steam ahead.
We had to learn to say no to them.
Some people got annoyed that we weren’t giving them the attention they wanted or expected.
Wisdom we had to learn. So called friends would come and socialise with us during our working day oblivious how busy we all were running our business, wholesalers coming to buy, retail customers coming in and the workshop going full steam ahead.
We had to learn to say no to them.
Some people got annoyed that we weren’t giving them the attention they wanted or expected.
The Fool - The End
Myrna
In 1987 we stopped trading, selling and manufacturing as we knew the time had passed for our designs. Ruti and I experimented with designing and making knitwear for women. Although we had some good publicity it was just too much work to develop the concept. We realised that we could buy knitted fabric on the roll eliminating all the hard work we were forced to do making our designs via hand operated knitting machines. So much could go wrong as at the last minute the whole jumper could fall off the machine! We stopped that enterprise.
Myrna
In 1987 we stopped trading, selling and manufacturing as we knew the time had passed for our designs. Ruti and I experimented with designing and making knitwear for women. Although we had some good publicity it was just too much work to develop the concept. We realised that we could buy knitted fabric on the roll eliminating all the hard work we were forced to do making our designs via hand operated knitting machines. So much could go wrong as at the last minute the whole jumper could fall off the machine! We stopped that enterprise.
Myrna and Ruti - Knitwear and appliqué
COSTUME PATTERNS AND DESIGNS Max Tilke. A source of inspiration for our design concepts
This work is a historical survey of costume patterns and dress designs from around the world. The garments are shown spread out, and as the fabrics are rich in ornament, colourful decorations and embroidery, the work is at the same time a valuable collection of dress materials, useful to fashion and theatrical costume designers as well as textile fabric designers.
