Vogue individualist Patterns: Should you start collecting?

Sewing patterns were nothing new, but the Vogue Individualist line introduced the abstract, artistic designs of the 1980s to the general public

These were patterns that brought the new radical silhouettes of the decade into the homes of suburbia. The likes of Issey Miyake, Claude Montana and Isaac Mizrahi to name a few all featured through the range, allowing pretty much anyone who can sew the ability to construct their own fitted designer piece for a fraction of the cost. Of course, it required patience, endurance, and labour, but it is this attached element of craft that accomplishes a higher degree of personal achievement and inherent personal value imbued in the realised garment.

Sewing patterns were nothing new, but the Vogue Individualist line introduced the abstract, artistic designs of the 1980s to the general public, and due to their limited run, often fetch high prices on the second-hand market today.  A scroll through eBay or Etsy sends you down a wormhole of crusty, sun-stained sewing patterns with faded yet often beautiful illustrations of what the finished garment (hopefully) will look like.

Why have they become such sought-after collectables? Is it because they capture a time where clothes lasted longer, and were made to last longer?

These patterns are fascinating because they offer a comment on high fashion’s relationship with exclusivity.  It would be hard to imagine many of today’s high fashion designers offering up sewing patterns so that keen sewers could make their garments for a quarter of the price. Why have they become such sought-after collectables? Is it because they capture a time where clothes lasted longer, and were made to last longer? The designers were not so preoccupied with high price points and inaccessibility and could release their work in a sort of open-source code, allowing the sewer to tweak colours, fabrics, and shapes and interpret the design how they want, and there is something exciting about that. Nowadays, if you look for sewing patterns on the mainstream market, you’ll most likely find frumpy jumpers, the itchy sort your grandma made you that’s never been worn.  Could the lack of mainstream public demand for these patterns today originate from their mildly geriatric associations?

These guides brought this design vanguard into the home and allowed for a more hands-on and essentially fun relationship with clothing.

It’s a shame because these are one of the best ways to learn to sew and to fit a garment to your own or somebody else’s body. The humble sewing pattern taught millions to construct exciting clothes from scratch, yet today they sit on the shelves of HobbyCraft, gathering dust.  The patterns of the past, particularly those by Miyake offered an often complex construction challenge with intricate cuts and impressive silhouettes. These guides brought this design vanguard into the home and allowed for a more hands-on and essentially fun relationship with clothing.  To own these patterns is to own a piece of reusable design history.

While Vogue Patterns are still being produced, albeit no longer by Vogue, the magazine ceased publication in 2019.  After ninety-nine years on the newsstand it finally gave way to the times, and now as these patterns become increasingly scarce, perhaps it’s time to start collecting?