Pendleton in Germany

We had a gorgeous feature in German VOGUE this summer. The weathered walls and dry landscape make an atmospheric backdrop for our Native American-inspired blankets. Please click for larger views!

Cover with the NIKE N7 blanket

Innovation meets tradition with this collaboration between Nike N7 and Pendleton Woolen Mills. For inspiration, Nike designer Derek Roberts looked to traditional Native American dress and how the patterns work together to create a garment. He started at the bottom of the blanket with a smaller pattern of arrows that repeats and grows in scale toward the center. The top is a mirror image of the bottom. Putting a unique twist on the traditional Pendleton blanket, he used only black and white instead of the usual multitude of colors. The result is a distinctive, contrast-driven look that subtly blends black and white to create varying grey tones in heathered and color-blocked designs. The center of the blanket prominently features the Nike N7 mark–three arrows pointing back to signify past generations, three arrows pointing forward to signify future generations, and arrows in the center to represent the current generation. The arrows, sometimes appearing as triangles or other shapes, convey both movement and balance. The blanket reverses for a positive/negative visual effect–with a black base on one side and white on the other.

The Crossroads blanket.

The Crossroads design reflects First Nations teachings and the power of the four directions – the number “four" is sacred among many Native American tribes. East represents the physical body, the realm of the Warrior. West represents the heart and the path of the Visionary. North is the region of the mind and the wisdom of the Teacher. South represents the spirit, enlightenment and the realm of the Healer. Balance and harmony are achieved where the directions meet at the center of the Medicine Wheel. Crosses in this jacquard pattern symbolize the crossroads where the paths meet – the place where an individual becomes whole.

The San Miguel blanket.

A pattern inspired by mid-to-late 19th-century Native American weaving traditions and the influence of Spanish missionaries in the Southwest. The design’s roots are in the traditional banded Chief Stripe pattern which evolved into a “nine-element” layout. The reversible jacquard has two dramatically different looks.

The Saxony Hills blanket.

The Saxony Hills Blanket references the changing landscape of Navajo weaving in the 1800s. Spanish explorers had introduced Churro sheep to the Southwest in the late 17th century. The Churro bred by the Navajo produced a somewhat coarse, long-staple wool that was hand-spun and woven into shoulder robes or blankets, shirts and sashes. Hand-spun wool from these animals was the main source of yarn for Navajo blankets until the 1860s. Then Saxony yarns arrived in the Southwest by way of the Santa Fe Trail and later the railroad. These fine 3-ply yarns spun from the wool of merino sheep were produced in Saxony, a former German state, and in England, France, and New England. By the mid-1900s, Saxony yarns were used by the Navajos for general weaving. The Saxony Hills Blanket incorporates traditional, geometric Navajo motifs—diamonds, stepped triangles and Spider Woman cross patterns.