Phillip Bloch Launches Sustainable Cashmere Collection of One-of-a-kind Pieces
Phillip Bloch, the celebrity stylist, designer and TV personality, has developed a sustainable cashmere collection called Omniscient Things. Each of the sweaters is one-of-a-kind, and recreated by hand in the U.S.
Bloch said he works with new cashmere knitwear from China (he buys from a stockist extra inventory from private label companies) and adds fabrics that he gets from vintage clothing throughout the U.S. He takes the garment apart and attaches the fabric to the cashmere sweaters, or he uses vintage rolls of fabric or remnants that would normally be discarded. Bloch has a small team of people assembling the sweaters in their own ateliers, and works with them with placing every bead, sequin, feather, crystal or embroidered flower.
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For example, Bloch said he’ll find a dress or cape in a vintage shop that works well because those garments have a lot of fabric, and he’ll take them apart and recreate them. “I can sometimes make two or three sweaters from one dress or cape,” said Bloch. For the collection, he created 159 pieces.
Among the styles are a black crewneck short-sleeved cashmere sweater with antique gold sequin embroidered flowers and leaves with jet beading on a tulle front with silk lining for $1,750, and a black long-sleeved crewneck cashmere sweater with a fiesta colored multifloral silk embroidered tulle front for $1,875.
Another look is a black long-sleeved crewneck cashmere sweater with metallic gold 3D flowers with crystal beaded centers on a black silk tulle front with silk organza lining for $1,875.
Overall, the retail prices range from $750 to $2,250. Bloch said he did a very limited launch to private clients and his celebrity friends and the sweaters are also available at Church boutique in Los Angeles. They are also carried at omniscienthings.com, and will also be at Pat Fields gallery in the next few weeks. Since they are one-of-a-kind, they are offered in either small, medium, large or extra large, depending on the style.
Bloch said he’s making sweaters for people who are looking for something special. He said he gifted some of his celebrity friends, and many bought pieces as well. Among those wearing the sweaters are Fran Drescher, Julianna Margulies, Zoe Kravitz, Vivica Fox, Lydia Hearst, Kim Cattrall, Dania Ramirez, Cindy Crawford and Pat Cleveland
“I love beautiful clothes and I have incredible friendships and connections with the most beautiful women in the world. And I listen to them and I help them through their days and dressing for the most important events in their lives. And I took all of that information and put it together into this collection. Knowing how busy everybody’s days are, and how we constantly have to go to a variety of events and meetings throughout the day, I wanted to create a very special collection for my glamorous friends. And women who love fashion and love living their best life [with pieces] that could take them from boardroom meetings in the day to red carpet galas in the evening with just a simple switch from a pant to a ball gown skirt, so to speak.”
Bloch, who has styled models for fashion shows and movie stars for photoshoots, said he has always taken clothing others have designed and has had to recreate and reinvent them into something, whether that be making it more photogenic or trend-conscious or more of a look for the runways at fashion shows or more sexy or form-fitting.
Over the years, Bloch has dabbled in the design world, creating a collection of cashmere sweaters called Phillip Bloch for Emma and Posh back in 2009. He also did a shoe and eyewear collection for Hush Puppies, and had a jewelry line on QVC several years ago. Bloch has been the style director for NFL apparel for five years.
“I am so proud of this collection and I believe it’s a little bit of seasonless fluid fashion magic,” said Bloch. “They can help you dress to impress and bring a little glamour from day to evening.”
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