Founded in 1976, Idea Books specializes in connecting publishers and cultural institutions with a global audience through architecture, art, photography, design, fashion, and film. Their offerings cover topics that are both thought-provoking and inspirational.

From the export of goods to the movement of populations, from the establishment of workshops to their relocation, the mechanics of cartography offer new keys to understanding the materials and trades of fashion. Drawing on a multifaceted approach to geography, the texts collected in this book offer insights into the artisanal and industrial traditions, gestures, materials, and actors that define the cultures of fashion production.

Looking back at the establishment of passementiers in the nineteenth century, the logic of proximity among Parisian featherworkers, the textile trade with India, and the craft of hairworking in the twenty-first century, this book brings together voices that help us to better situate what unites these multiple ways of seeing fashion and its savoir-faire. From author, Émilie Hammen with contributions from leading figures in the world of fashion, both academic and studio-based, this series of books helps to break down the barriers between disciplines.