In a press release sent to quilt shops today RJR Fabrics announced that the original Cotton+Steel designers will be leaving the company. The collections released at Spring Quilt Market will be their last.
Cotton+Steel is a wholly owned division of RJR fabrics and was founded in 2013 by designers Melody Miller, Rashida Coleman-Hale, Alexia Abegg, Kim Kight, and Sarah Watts. Working collaboratively they created modern fabric collections that mixed and matched season after season. Each designer had her own style but used a color palette and themes that complimented one another. The fabrics had collectible selvages with pop culture appeal. They were also quick to add substrates suitable for garment sewing.
Cotton+Steel employed innovative marketing techniques right from the start. They launched with a highly produced video introducing each designer and showing consumers the factory where the fabrics are made. Their Quilt Market booths captured the imagination of modern quilters and their aesthetic seemed to hit all the right notes. Cotton+Steel worked with Sulky to create a thread line and with Bernina on two branded sewing machines.
In recent years the team has collaborated with guest artists including Anna Bond of Rifle Paper, illustrator Christian Robinson, and this spring printmaker Jen Hewett.
In the press release, RJR stated that Cotton+Steel will continue without the founding designers. In the fall the division will “premier new faces and exciting new designs” as well as a new collection from Rifle Paper Company. RJR did not respond to our request for an interview this afternoon.
On her Instagram feed yesterday designer Kim Kight wrote, “We believe in ourselves, and we believe in you. You are amazing and we’ve loved every minute of creating fabric for you. Thank you for all your kindness, enthusiasm, friendship, and support. We won’t’ ever forget it. This has been a difficult decision, and we haven’t made lightly. You are the best and we love you. If you know anything about us, you know we have plans.”
In an email to us this afternoon Melody Miller wrote, “Today is a sad day. We’re so proud of the work we’ve done as Cotton+Steel, and grateful to RJR for giving us the opportunity to do something that was fresh, innovative, and deeply personal. The Cotton+Steel brand was an extension of ourselves, and we’ve given it the best of our talents, energy, and vision over the last five years.”
She went on to say, “We value each other, and we value this industry. You haven’t seen the last of us. We want our fans to know how much we love and appreciate them, and not to worry, fabric is in our future.”
Editor’s Note: We have now posted a longer story detailing why these five designers chose to leave RJR. You can find that story here.
I am very excited for your new adventure under your own umbrella!
Please keep me informed of your new developments. I have been a fabric rep in New England for the past 11 years and would welcome the opportunity to represent you as your new company! Will any of you be at Spring Market to meet and talk about this?
Thank you,
Gretchen
Hi Gretchen, I’m not speaking for Cotton+Steel, but I do know that they will be at Quilt Market and will be doing an event at Fabric Depot in Portland as well.
Do you know when the Portland event will be?
I’m so curious to know what happened. We were excited when the brand first debuted and carried their precuts in our store (we sell precuts exclusively online). However, they did not move at all so we eventually had to discontinue selling them. I also noticed bolts of their fabric continuously on the clearance tables at my local quilt shop. They did an amazing job with branding but it was always difficult to deal with RJR and their sales reps. In fact, we had to completely stop selling the RJR brand while other brands thrived in our online shop. So I’m curious if other shop owners had similar issues with the overall company which led to poor sales of C+S.
Interesting. I’m wondering what happened as well. I did not know that it was difficult to sell their product, since the prints are very popular with my modern quilt friends, and I have amassed quite a collection for myself, as well. I’m sure we haven’t heard the last of these ladies.
Hi Christa! Just read your post. Our shop sold a ton of Cotton and Steel, and we didn’t have trouble with the sales rep. However, I know some shops had trouble with billing and such with RJR. They do their billing in a different way than most companies, as I am sure you well know. Very inconvenient in a world and time where convenience matters greatly and is at our fingertips. They chose to stay in the stone age with their billing practices. That being said, I think that people are just not buying massive amounts of fabric anymore. People are buying smaller amounts, and they’re being much more judicious. They’re still buying fabric, no question. But, buyers are cautious.
Also, if RJR wasn’t reimbursing C+S in a timely manner, because of their ancient billing system, maybe those gals just got fed up.
I also had a very difficult time with their reps, and eventually decided not to carry the brand. It didn’t help that RJR sold on amazon, thus undercutting retailers. No thank you.
I am just a consumer and have loved and purchased many of cotton &steel collections the last 5 years. Please keep designing and I’m excited for this new journey for you. Can’t wait to see the direction in which you grow!!!
Like Millissa Masters, I, too, am just a consumer. With my first exposure to Cotton+Steel, I was completely sold. When visiting my favorite quilt shop (Fancy Tiger, Denver, CO), I would first look for Cotton+Steel fabrics for my projects. Then I would just buy Cotton+Steel fabric to hold over while ruminating about a project to fit the fabric. Needless to say, I told anyone who would listen how Cotton+Steel was my favorite fabric designer company. I am sorry to see all the Cotton+Steel designers leave. I will be looking for all of them in a new adventure again. And when it comes to their fabrics, I am a forever customer. I hope to be kept posted when they imerge on the scene again!!!!
Good luck ladies. The next adventure is around the corner.
I LOVE Cotton and Steel fabrics! I am a consumer and I hope to continue to see your products in my local store, Rainbow’s End Quilt Shop in Dunedin, Florida
The story unfolds…. RJR needs to attract new talent to keep the line going, it will be modern but very different going forward. I wonder about the five designers, are they going to continue to collaborate? Will they go their separate ways?
I am hoping that this is a move for the designers that will benefit them personally, as well as the greater good of the fabric industry.
Hi! I love Cotton and Steel Fabrics. Keep us informed! I wish you the very best! 😎🌸
Look forward to seeing these ladies again and whatever new designs they have to offer.
One of my favorite projects ever was made with one of their fabrics and three years later it still receives compliments and rave reviews. I’ve had to purchase their fabrics online as very little was available locally. Hope that changes going forward.
Alexia Abegg’s “hatbox tiger” fabric was awesome. I made a nap mat for my cat Maxwell from it, because he’s an orange tiger too. I will keep an eye out for her future designs.
To the shop owner who noted that people are buying less these days – um, yes. I refuse to spend $10.50 for a yard of quilting cotton. Most of my quilting dollars are spent at Connecting Threads.
Please give us an update after the summer on where these talented designers are landing. Thanks!