Dorothy Liebes | 11. The Empress of the Power Loom

Handweaving didn’t pay the bills. Liebes saw the potential in power looms to accomplish dual purposes: reduce overhead, thereby making her beautiful designs affordable for the average homeowner. In 1954, the British furniture designer T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings congratulated Liebes on her evolution from being “queen of the loom” to “empress of the power loom.” He may have been referring to her contributions to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Model Usonian House & Pavilion at the Guggenheim. He doesn’t specify. But, in fact, Liebes had been consulting with industry for 14 years by then.

At Goodall in Maine

Starting with Goodall Worsted Company of Sanford, Maine, Liebes contracted with numerous mills, manufacturers and retailers from 1940 through her collaboration with Sears Roebuck in the final years of her life. Liebes worked in the Goodall factory, suggesting adjustments to the manufacturing process that resulted in textiles resembling her hand-loomed products. She was a sought-after color and design consultant with Columbia Mills, Dobeckum, Jantzen, Sanford Carpet, Kenwood blankets, Bigelow Carpets, and others. Her longest and most significant partnership was with the fiber producer DuPont. Her great-nephew remembers attending the 1964 New York World's Fair with Liebes, and feeling like he was with a queen in the DuPont pavilion, such was her influence in the company.

DuPont fibers

The “Liebes Look” beautified at least seven ocean liners, Eisenhower’s Air Force I, the 747 airliner, the United Nations Delegates Dining Room, and numerous hotels, restaurants and clubs. Liebes was asked to submit samples made from DuPont yarns for use in 2001: A Space Odyssey. A set that was to feature Liebe’s textiles was canceled pre-production, however, so none of her textiles were used in the film, according to design historian Charlotte von Hardenburgh.