Kevin O'Brien Studio
This company was founded in a barn in 1990. From the beginning it seemed that the fabrics must have had a more exotic origin than that. Though our facility now has electricity and running water, our fabrics still appear to have some mysterious story behind them. . .Perhaps they come from another time, using lost skills and techniques. But the workshop is in Philadelphia, the ideas are modern, and the people are American. Many of the techniques used to achieve the effects were invented (or rather, discovered, since most were really accidents) in our studio. This is why you won't see anything else like it, the complex patterns, the elusive color, the unique weave structures. . .They are delights to the eye and the hand, everything a great fabric should be.
Many members of the studio have given up futures as doctors and lawyers, even architects, because this fabric simply must be made. We believe the best fabrics are part art and part industry, a blend of the Renaissance and the industrial revolution. These fabrics are part of this tradition and now many parts of the world are involved. We produce mainly in the US but also in Nepal, India, Mongolia, China, and Europe. All of our partners embrace fair trade practices.
With a strong knowledge of history as a base, we can create our own modern and original designs that don't fall prey to the latest whims that grip the design world. We expect never to hear "What was I thinking 5 years ago when I bought this from Kevin O'Brien?" What we do hope is that in 50 years people will say "My grandparents must have been so cool, look at the fabrics they chose!" Those who own our products know that each piece is a treasure to behold.