Welcome!

Hi, it's Jhane.

Welcome to my early November newsletter.

Pictured at left is Artistry, one of my engineered digital shirts from my Holiday/Resort 2010 Collection, now available online.

In honor of Benoît Mandelbrot, who passed away very recently, I hope you will scroll down and read about my history of designing with Mandelbrot fractals, and some of my new designs incorporating these motifs. In addition to fractals, there is a plethora of new items available in my online store, including a new development, silk "tie shirts." Finally, you should check out the stunning glass sculpture by Steve Funk, a fan of my clothes. I think you'll agree it's a fantastic work of art.

As always, I love hearing from you, so don't hesitate to email me at jhane@jhanebarnes.com.

Enjoy!

- Jhane

Benoît Mandelbrot (1924-2010)

As you probably know, fractals are some of my favorite design motifs. I particularly admire the work of Benoît Mandelbrot, a Franco-American mathematician who is considered the father of fractal geometry. In honor of Mandelbrot, who passed away very recently, I am highlighting new shirt designs, pictured below, which use fractals from the Mandelbrot set (named in his honor).

I first learned about Mandelbrot in the 1980's when I read his book, "The Fractal Geometry of Nature." I started using Mandelbrot fractals in my designs in 1995, and have used them in almost every single season since then. I even appeared in a Nova documentary with Mandelbrot, "Hunting the Hidden Dimension." You can watch the video online.

Hunter

(click the image to see this in the online store)

Floral Landscape

(click the image to see this in the online store)

The shirts pictured here use Mandelbrot fractals: "Hunter" is an engineered digital print, while "Floral Landscape" is a double woven shirt. "Incognito," also a double woven, uses my signature push-pull technique. Finally, "Nebula," a screen print, is a classic Mandelbrot fractal. These shirts make wonderful gifts for your favorite math fans.

Incognito

(click the image to see this in the online store)

Nebula

(click the image to see this in the online store)

Benoît Mandelbrot

Pictured (at left) is Dr. Mandelbrot holding one of my woven shirts from 1995, which uses his fractals.

Something new: Silk "tie shirts"

For this Holiday/Resort season, I have developed something new I think you will love: silk "tie shirts."

Using tie weaving looms, and beautiful, high quality silk, I have put together a new line of shirts inspired by neck ties. The shirts have silk in the warp and cotton in the weft, and draw on traditional neckwear motifs.

This is all possible because of my new business partners, who happen to be one of the largest silk tie manufacturers in this country. My partners have their own silk weaving mill, sewing factory, and hand screen printing facility in Weihai, a tiny, pretty town on the water voted the cleanest city in China.

With these incredible resources, I have been able to experiment with new techniques and weaving capabilities.

Click the image to see this in the online store

"Manor," a silk-cotton jacquard, shines in red with turquoise accents. The luxurious hand and detailed pattern are the result of tie weaving, which uses multiple wefts.

Click the image to see this in the online store

The rich color and detail in "Galactic Stripe" is the result of the weaving technique. This silk-cotton jacquard uses the same technique as tie weaving, in which there is a high number of weft threads. The royal purple color is bright and celebratory, perfect for the holiday season.

Click the image to see this in the online store

(The same as Galatic Stripe as shown just above, but in blue).

Funky Glass

This One Is For You!

The gorgeous piece of glass in the picture at left was designed by Steve Funk.

Steve Funk

He and I met at one of my store appearances in Florida several months ago. Can you believe he designed this piece using the colors in my business card as inspiration? Wow! It never occurred to me that some day, my designs would inspire this type of artwork. Thanks, Steve for sending me this gift. Your talent inspires me!

Here is what the back of my business card looks like. You can really see the link between Steve's sculpture and my design!

Jhane's Business Card