JANE SHELTON
Jane Shelton never set out to become a fabric designer. She just wanted better fabrics. As a matter of fact, to this day she insists, “I am not a designer. I’m an editor.” She finds inspiration in patterns, artifacts and objects – then translates it to fabric as a medium, envisioning shapes and hues within the flow and fall of the material. It’s a dynamic canvas, and Jane imbues it with a passionate and refined point of view.
Although boutique lines are now a niche market, it was unusual to build an entire line around one designer’s perspective 30 years ago. Poring over details, obsessing over dyes and threads; her fabrics infused elegance with character. Her line found its way into showrooms throughout the U.S. and in London – alongside the storied fabric houses she once aspired to sell herself.
Over the years, more and more of these “boutique” houses have been bought out by corporate lines, diluting their identity and flair with quotas and committees. But just as she started, Jane Shelton operates as a true individual, building upon her vision season after season. Her office bulges with pieces of inspiration, scribbled notes and swatches – tables lined with hand-assembled designs in progress.
Jane Shelton may not call herself a designer. But her designs speak for themselves.