Turkish Delight ~ BLACKSPADE®

Along my career path, I made a 10 year stop in Turkey, not the country, but a company whose base was in Istanbul.  Charged with the management of some very key Private Label accounts as well as pivotal name brands, I was focused much of the time on fabric development.  When it comes to fabric, particularly knits, Turkey is a mecca.  The speed at which we could present new fabrics to buyers was a unique asset of sourcing in this country. Every season I would travel to Europe, find samples made in interesting materials, send them to Istanbul and have counter samples back in my office in less than 6 weeks.  In our niche, we were always ahead of the market. I believe that what makes this possible is that many of the factories are involved with the product from conception; spinning, dying and knitting their own piece goods. Because they own the process, they have a proprietary connection to the finished merchandise. But, eventually, as all eyes turned east in search of greener fields, much of the Turkish production at volume levels languished.

I was a bit wary when I was first introduced to the BLACKSPADE® brand, recently launched in the USA.   But the moment I touched the fabrics, they had my attention. This multi-faceted assortment of luxurious knitted intimates is designed and developed at the state of the art Turkish based BLACKSPADE® factories in a eco-friendly, modern environment. A collection of 24 groups; 12 for women & 12 for men, the brand is targeted at an everyday easy aesthetic. Underwear, thermal wear, yoga wear and daywear dominate the line, many styles available in sizes S-XXL; some to a 5X. Long a retail phenomenon in Europe, the combination of price and product prove this product is an incredible value. Perhaps I am experiencing a bit of déjà vu, but so what, those were very profitable times.

“It’s Déjà Vu All Over Again” ~Yogi Berra