I use natural materials, and traditional techniques that go back a thousand years. Hand-spinning and hand-weaving of wool, alpaca and mohair; silks that are shibori-dyed, a method handed down from master to apprentice in Japan for centuries.

I have practiced this way of creating things for seventeen years ­ experimenting, taking classes (and teaching them), failing and succeeding. I want to reach into the essence of the material, bring out its best, and offer it to you as a single, unique, original jacket, coat or ensemble that will never be duplicated.

The lines of the designs are classic and simple. The richness is in the color and texture and quality of the materials. I sign each piece the way you sign a letter to a friend, after reading it over and thinking, "Yes, that's what I meant to say."