If you execute a Google image search on the word, "Borg," you're going to see a lot of this: rigid and not very aerodynamic, the space ship of the drone-like, assimilating, arch enemy of Captain Picard and his Next Generation crew, the Godzilla of the galaxy, the Borg.
But this isn't my Trekkie husband's blog. It's mine and as you all know, I like to talk fabric. Did you know there is Borg fabric? Made by Borg Textiles. It's vintage, too!
Here's a woman in a cube -- but not a Borg cube. An ice cube!
And she isn't cold at all because she's wearing a Borg fur coat.
Apparently it was easier to find a needle in a haystack
than a coat made out of this soft, luxurious fabric - mostly sold out of NYC.
Enjoying it's heyday in the 1950s-70s, Borg Fabrics was said to be the largest
producer of "deep pile" textiles in the world with manufacturing plants in England, Canada, Belgium, Connecticut, Georgia and whaddya know - their headquarters right here in my back yard in Delavan, Wisconsin! I consider them the
pioneers of fake fur - soft and yummy fake fur. Or should I say "faux?" If you believe this ad for their high quality coats, it's "soft and shimmery, pours like cream, light as a whisper, warm as the Golf Stream, and scoffs at moths." And of course, "looks more like fur than fur itself."
According to this ad that probably wouldn't fly in our PC world of today, you shouldn't "blame the hunter" for mistaking this chic woman (see mounted head) wearing a Borgana coat for a prized hunting trophy.
Do you think turbans will come back any time soon?
Not quite Zoolander's trademark "blue steel" look.
"You'd think it was born in the jungle." Among the names Borg used for their fur lines were, "Borgana, Borgazia, and Borglura which was a short-lived longer pile fur which was not popular because it made women "look too fat" according to a 1957 Milwaukee Journal article.
Borg for the whole family.
Borg fabric coats are still popular with the vintage crowd because they have held up well. You can find cozy coats of all kinds on sites like eBay and Etsy. Here's a recent offering from Goodwill's online store.
This 1966 moss green (some might say "avocado") green bath set spills the beans that Borg Fabrics might be branching out from their lux coats roots. Remember toilet tanks wrapped in fur? I do. But let's not stop there when we can also cover the scale, the waste basket, the tissue box, and the TOILET BRUSH HOLDER!!! In addition to apparel and home furnishings, Borg fabrics were also used for industrial applications including car shammies, paint rollers, work mitts and gun case linings.
And I didn't accept my husband's suggestion
that they had something to do with the Star Trek Borg...
...even if the Borg Fabric logo is surprisingly similar to the Star Trek Insignia.
Assimilate that.
