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About Cloud9 Fabrics
Cloud9 Fabrics is passionate about bringing eco-sensible fabrics to the quilt and craft market. Co-founders Michelle Engel Bencsko and Gina Pantastico recognized the need for contemporary designs in the eco-friendly, affordable fabric marketplace. In a world where Cotton is King and designer fabrics are becoming increasingly popular, it was apparent that there was a lack of organic cottons with a modern sensibility available to the sewing community. Cloud9's immediate goals are to use only 100% certified organic cotton in the manufacturing of our base cloths and eco-responsible low impact dyes for printing and dying. Michelle's retro-inspired color palette and whimsical designs play up the Nature theme that emphasize the promise for a happy, healthy Earth. Cloud9 Fabrics' organic cotton and goods are imported from India, where they continue to make great strides in the development of eco-friendly fabrics and finishing techniques. Our aim is to work closely with mills who foster the practice of organic cotton farming and eco-responsible print and dye methods.
Cotton is the most widely used natural fiber and accounts for up to 50% of the textile market worldwide. Although cotton is also one of the most chemically treated crops and accounts for roughly 25% of the pesticides used in agriculture, at Cloud9 Fabrics we meet the GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) for farming methods benefiting farmers, Earth, and consumers by using natural, non-toxic means to control crops from seed to harvesting.
The whitening process is a non-chlorine, eco-friendly bleaching technique which can result in the natural cotton color that will be evident in the tone of our base cloth. No chemical brighteners are used, so the end-product is a soft natural white.
Our prints and solids use low-impact, organic dye-stuff, some of the benefits of which include: no heavy metals or toxic substances; have a higher absorption rate which creates less waste water runoff; require less energy, salt and alkali in the application and fixation; and the water can be recycled for reclaiming the dye that is not used.
Other resources: Indian Textile Journal, Green Cotton Blog, Louts Organics
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Our Collections
In our current economic environment a lot can be said through the spending of consumer dollars. While getting a good deal is always nice, it's also rewarding to know that one's hard-earned money is spent on quality and care in a grander sense. We, at Cloud9 Fabrics, are optimistic that many crafters, quilters and sewers will join us in our beliefs, and value the importance of organic cotton and eco-sensible converting techniques.
It was natural that we began our project with a baby collection, My Happy Garden. Being moms ourselves, we embrace the movement towards healthier fabrics with a less harmful impact on our children and to the gorgeous planet on which they will grow up. The gender neutral assortment is slim, yet encompasses an appeal for a variety of projects including clothing, bedding, crafts, window dressings and accessories. Our second collection, Beyond the Sea lends a little maturity to the designs, which makes it quite versatile for a myriad of projects. The retro-vibe and pretty seashore theme can brighten a nursery as easily as a living room. Our 3rd collection for fall 2010, Forest Friends Flannel will bring an entirely new product to market: printed and solid organic flannels- cozy, soft and fun. It's a vibrant graphic group that can appeal to all ages.
As with all of our collections, we maintain a consistent color palette, which allows retailers to freshen up any past inventory with a new infusion of prints and solids, season after season. We also formulate the collections to be small and tight in keeping with the less-is-more attitude of today's conservative perspective, which also allows the likelihood that full ranges can be stocked. We hope you will enjoy our products and that they will find a happy home with you and your loved ones.
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Cloud9 Fabrics is literally, the brainchild of Two Girls and a Dream. Coincidentally, Michelle and Gina attended the same high school. They didn't realize the connection until they met again in 1995 in a working relationship that lasted nearly 10 years. While working in different areas and for different companies, they collaborated closely together, creating line after line, product after product, sharing the same continued determination to excel at what they did and learning along the way. It was clear to both of them, that they had much in common and valued and respected the other's abilities. After a few years of going in slightly different career directions, they reunited and Michelle shared her project ideas with Gina who enthusiastically took up the challenge to source the means to achieve their goals. With the same "can do" attitude they had in the past, they quickly and confidently began to formulate and develop this joint endeavor that comfortably utilizes each of their talents while encompassing their values. It is their hope that the significance of the company's name, Cloud9, is clear- they simply couldn't be happier doing what they love to do and doing it for themselves with their own interests and beliefs in mind. Life is good!
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 Michelle Engel Bencsko, Design and Marketing Director. Michelle has spent her entire life dedicated to the pursuit of creative endeavors. While she obtained a BFA in Photography at Montclair State College, she almost immediately abandoned the idea of going into that industry. Instead, she found herself moving from one creative job to another until she unwittingly landed a humble position as a designer's assistant in a mens sleepwear and loungewear company. Within a few years and another company later, she found herself the Design Director for a prominent private label mens underwear company where she honed her design, merchandising and marketing skills. After about 15 years in the industry that she never intended to make a career, she left the big NYC job to pursue her own projects and have more time with her children. Through her independent company, Cicada Studio, she developed and produced home décor weight printed textiles in cotton/linen blends. It was also at this time that she began to license collections for Henry Glass & Co, specifically for the quilt market, which opened up an entirely new perspective of designing and outlet for her talents. As the success of her Cicada Studio collections grew, her need to produce on a larger scale became evident. Being Earth-friendly has always been important to Michelle. As she researched her options and refined her ideas for a collection, the notion to create a designer line of fabrics that bridged the gap of high-end organics and mass-consumerism took shape.
Michelle is extremely grateful for the opportunities that her experiences have given her. All of the support of her husband and two boys, and her family and friends has encouraged her entrepreneurial spirit. It is in this spirit, that she chooses to make a positive and ecologically concerned impact in the world and the market in which she's found herself most comfortable.
Learn more about Michelle's work, life and musings on her personal blog Cicada Daydream.
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 Gina Pantastico Production and Sales Director. Gina has spent over 16 years in the fashion industry mainly focusing on production, sourcing, and vendor related issues. After graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, she started her career working in a buying office for a retailer. She quickly realized this was not the path for her and took a position with a manufacturing company. This is where she found her niche, as she loves working with vendors from all corners of the world.
Over the course of her career Gina directed the production and sourcing for several major companies, and has had the pleasure of traveling around the world. She has visited Australia, Europe, and has journeyed extensively throughout Asia with itineraries that included Bangladesh, Thailand, China, Cambodia, and Taiwan. It was during these trips that Gina became dedicated to the human rights of factory workers. Her main concerns, when sourcing mills for Cloud9 Fabrics, is to ensure that all vendors are committed to ethical and responsible conduct. This includes respecting the rights of all individuals, a devotion to sustained social compliance, and an accountability to the environment.
Most recently, Gina has had the honor to be asked to be an Instructor in the International Trade and Marketing Department at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is currently teaching International Business Transactions to 3rd year students.
Gina is thrilled to be a part of providing fresh, modern designs with an eco-conscious focus to the fabric market place. She is delighted to have the opportunity to bring her expertise to Cloud9 Fabrics because, with this endeavor, she is doing something she believes in, and it enables her to spend more time with her husband, daughters and Murry (their exuberant Golden Retriever).
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