Up Tied

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title: "Up Tied" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["american-textile-designers", "design-companies-established-in-1968", "1968-establishments-in-new-york-(state)"] description: "American textile house specialising in tie-dyed fabrics" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_Tied" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American textile house specialising in tie-dyed fabrics ::

Up Tied was an American textile house specialising in tie-dyed fabrics founded in 1968 by the husband and wife team Will and Eileen Richardson and Eileen's brother, Tom Pendergast. They won a special Coty Award for "major creativity in fabrics" in 1970.

Company history

Will Richardson and his wife, who had worked as window-dressers, were given fabric samples by the Rit company, which Will declared he could do better. When challenged by Rit to prove it, Will and Eileen taught themselves in four days to tie-dye, producing a range of fabrics which met with the company's approval.

The Richardsons, after less than a year in business, were being called the "best tie-dyers in the city", In 1970, they were awarded a Special Coty Award alongside a number of other designers, such as Giorgio di Sant' Angelo, Alexis Kirk and Clifton Nicholson; whose work combined ethnic themes and influences with fine craftsmanship and an appreciation of folk art techniques. Up Tied's use of what was described as an "ancient Oriental art" of dying textiles fitted in with this theme. For the Coty fashion show, Up Tied's section was modelled by six dancers choreographed by Murray Louis.

Along with Halston, the fashion designers Donald Brooks and Gayle Kirkpatrick also used Up Tied fabrics.

References

References

1. Lady Fare. (29 September 1970}}{{Dead link). "Bill Blass Named to Hall of Fame". The News and Courier.
2. McDowell, Colin. (1984). "McDowell's Directory of Twentieth Century Fashion". Frederick Muller.
3. Weinger, Erin. (19 April 2008). "Fashions to tie-dye for". Tampa Bay Times.
4. (26 January 1970). "The Psychedelic Tie-Dye Look". TIME Magazine.
5. (1971). "Tying Up the Best Tie-Dyes in Beachwear". Look Magazine.
6. Lambert, Eleanor. (19 September 1970). "Ethnic Theme Monopolises Front Seat in Fashion". The News and Courier.

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