“I sort of only believe in one-of-a-kind…so that everything is couture,” said event designer Stanlee Gatti at the Citibank-sponsored kickoff celebration for the upcoming FOG Design + Art Fair in San Francisco on Tuesday, December 2. Gatti co-hosted the intimate dinner at Cotogna with fellow FOG steering committee members Katie Paige, Allison Speer and Cathy Topham. The evening honored winners of a digital competition, the Citi Mobile Challenge, and sparked speculation about the January 2015 fair’s uniquely curated exhibitions and the preview party benefiting SFMOMA.

“I decided I wanted to do an exhibition about one of my favorite things, and that’s textiles,” said Gatti who has curated an installation at each FOG Fair to date. “I’m one of those people who could go to India and sit all day long just sipping tea and looking at different textiles, but I chose to focus on cotton because it’s the most universal. It’s the fabric of the people.” Gatti’s space at the fair will highlight the regional California craftspeople from those working in the Central Valley to creatives near Tahoe who perform some part of the fabric production process. “The people who grow the cotton, who spin it into thread, the designers who create the garment, the manufacturers who produce it, they’re all a part of it,” said Gatti. The textiles produced for the installation will be used to create one-of-a-kind accessories including scarves, shawls, and table runners that will be for sale at the fair. ” I love handmade things,” said Gatti. “I’ve always wanted people to understand that we still make things by hand. That it’s not just a machine.”

By Jennifer McCullum

Pictured: Cathy Topham, Allison Speer, Katie Paige & Stanlee Gatti
Photo by: Drew Altizer