MWE&d ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN JACK - My Exclusive Sashes From Turkey!

[Captain Matt]

A MATT WIGGINS ENTERTAINMENT AND DESIGNS EXCLUSIVE

Ahoy Mates and a Happy New Year to you!  

Things in my world have been EXTREMLY busy and I cannot express to you the level of excitement I have right now in having the distinct privilege to share with you just details of what has been and continues to be an truly epic journey!

Below are a series of exclusive photos from MATT WIGGINS Entertainment and Designs from Turkey!  The exciting images reveal my master weaver, one of a hand full of master weavers still active in Turkey, along with 2 other generations of weavers (Grandmother, Mother, and Daughter) in the midst of creating my first (Sash #1 / Series I) extremely rare, special and original Jack Sparrow sashes in the centuries old tradition and identical to the originals.  There are also a few images of the Village in Turkey, where the magnificent pieces of art are being created.

My on going journey in getting here has been Epic to say the least!  A journey that began months ago after finding 60 yards of the ultra rare Ebony 903 that for all intents and purposes, was thought to no longer exist at all on the open market in uncut form, combine this with a comment by Mojo during one of our correspondence on the forum where he indicated that I would most likely never be able to locate the original sash fabric......well................lets just say I love a challenge and the more difficult the mountain, the better!  This was a mountain indeed, but now....I am standing at the peak shouting in victory with my hands raised!  

The journey began, as so many of mine do, with countless hours of research and accumulating as many puzzle pieces as possible to assist in successfully completing said puzzle! Like Sherlock Holmes in his attempts to solve an amazing riddle with seemingly endless twists and turns, so too were there a tremendous # of complex pieces in this puzzle!  Along with information I was able to find in my threaded research thru various articles, blogs, forums, interviews, websites and so forth, I knew I needed "boots on the ground", as it were, in Turkey!  People that knew the culture, the in's and out's of the textile industry there and those who have heard the "stories.....rumors" about a certain fabric - or the potential of it's existence!  

It was not long into my research and I was deeply involved in having direct correspondences with many fine men and women all over Turkey about the history and existence of the coveted fabric, including government officials, antique dealers, ancient rug dealers, remote villagers, shop owners (one of which became my primary contact and interpreter in the journey), textile manufactures and distributors, an ancient Turkish textile museum/historian, wardrobe and fabric brokers, Turkish textile consultants for Hollywood films, including the original agent that was sent by Disney from London to Turkey (on multiple occasions) to locate and commandeer the now famous fabric, as well as one of the original textile consultants from Turkey that assisted in that process!  

But - the most important conversation and contact of them all......and I can't believe the words are coming out of me mouth - or fingers as it were - that I was blessed with the opportunity to have....were those with a particularly humble man that would soon reveal the truth behind the mystery I was so driven to solve!    It began with a random search where I stumbled upon some information that caught my attention - what, at first, was merely an interesting piece of trivia....soon became monumental in it's importance!  I decided to follow the lead without truly knowing what might happen and soon, there it was!  A message for me.... a personal message from a very special man in Turkey indeed!  (As per protocol and my word, I cannot reveal his name (or any of the names directly involved in this journey) but for the purposes of this story I will call him "Boot Strap".  With my excitement beyond measure, Boot Strap confirmed with me that he was in fact privy to an abundance of information regarding the sale of the original fabric, stating that he immediately recognized the fabric in the images I sent him!  He said  "the fabric was sold to an woman who came to us for the film Pirates of the Caribbean many years ago!"  When I asked him about it's current availability he said the rare fabric is "unfortunately no longer available."  My enthusiasm unscathed, I went on to ask him about where and by whom the fabric may have been made.  He informed me that the traditional narrow fabrics that were made in certain regions around Turkey (which he states are approx. .40 meters wide which equates to 15 to 16 inches - not 12 inches as some believe and the width of many of the attempted recreations and all one has to do is watch the DMC Disc 2 segment and see Penny Rose hold the sash out - it is well over 12 inches - 15 to 16 to be exact) are hand weaved in a centuries old tradition on the loom are very rare and few weavers exist that still create them in that method, the method used to create the original fabric used for Jack's Sash.  Furthermore, I was informed by not one, two or three, but the majority of all the contacts I discussed the sash fabric with, that they are loomed using a very fine cotton, not linen.  Sensing Boot Straps desire to help me in some way, he went on to send me an image of some fabrics he had that were "close" but not exact as the originals, and also gave me the name of the woman whom purchased the fabric on behalf of Penny Rose and J.D. many years earlier.  I will refer to her with affection as Angelica.  

Below is the inspiring image sent to me from Boot Strap that shows multiple fabrics he had, that are wonderful in their own right, however, not what we know and understand as being THE Jack Sparrow sash fabric!  




When I first contacted Angelica, I informed her that Boot Strap had given me her name and went on to ask her if she could provide me with any information about the original fabric and where I might be able to find any that remains or IF said fabric remained at all.  First, she confirmed with me that she was in fact the "agent" sent to Turkey to try and locate "Johnny's sash fabric" after the original fabric for COBP was lost.  I was blown away to be speaking with her...the very woman who would take the fabric from Turkey to London and deliver it to Penny Rose!   A fabric that would soon be worn by one the most sensational and beloved characters in cinema history and become one of the most recognizable and famous fabrics on planet earth!  (As an aside - To my knowledge, and as per our conversation, Boot Strap was also the gentleman - or in the know of said gentleman - that sold the COBP fabric (most likely to a different agent many years prior) as well as the fabric Angelica purchased during her pre-production trip for DMC and AWE!)

Graciously, Angelica provided me with great information and details about the fabric and some of the challenges that came with it!  She advised that the traditional fabrics are created in very small amounts - and the challenge regarding the fabric became clear early on in the production of the two epic films!  She said that they had great difficulty in trying "stretch" the fabric enough to meet the needs of Johnny the stunt doubles and the photo doubles and that she was soon trying to get more - returning to Turkey and Boot Strap...or Boot Straps Boot Straps as it were!  One thing she could not tell me was were exactly the fabric was made or by whom.  "Remote villagers in the hills of Turkey" she said - a now famous sentence we are all very familiar with.  The difficulties in trying to fit all of those involved with "being" Jack Sparrow on screen with J.D.'s specific Hero sash fabric is obvious.  All one has to do is look at the sashes in pictures of the "screen used" costumes from various displays around the country and you will see blatant differences, however, while on screen, know one but those willing to take way to much time and energy out their day watching frame by frame would every notice and even then it is difficult because the majority of those scenes would be distance shots, not Hero shots of JD and Jack in all his glory wearing THE sash!  

Appreciative for her time and grateful for the information she provided, I would soon return for further discussions with Boot Strap as I was determined to take this to the end and figure out where the fabric came from and what village or peasant or hill the fabric was made.  I figured that if it was made before, somewhere, there is some remaining - just like the Ebony 903 - someone somewhere knows the details and I was going to find the literal needle in the hay stack of Mountains, Caves, Cities, Villages, searching every street in every one of those cities and every cave near those villages if I had to in order to solve the mystery and the legend once and for all!    

During the next weeks and months, I would have conversations with scores of fine folks from every walk of life in Turkey and elsewhere.  My primary point of contact however, remained Boot Strap!  I just knew there was more to be gained in our continued correspondence.  

During our next discussion, I thanked Boot Strap for the image of the fabrics he currently had in his possession, but informed him that I was not looking for something close, I was determined to find original or the creator said original.  It was a few days later that I received an email from someone that I would later find out was a Turkish consultant for many major Hollywood production companies.  I will call this person Tia!  Tia was an extremely resourceful person and knew a lot about the fabric trade in Turkey.  It was Tia that also advised me that the original fabric was no longer available!  She went on to tell me that she met with "them often" - the production team from Pirates of the Caribbean when they were there years earlier searching for textiles to use for the films.  She said that despite the non existence of the original fabric, she could most certainly find me something "VERY CLOSE" that was made using the same traditional methods as the original.  She advised that many of the narrow fabrics, like the original and those available thru her contacts, are "very very old and very very rare, many more than 100 years old" and "very expensive" per meter.  I advised her to please begin her search and to get in touch with me when she found the closest example she could!  Many weeks would go but eventually I received my message from her!  Despite my excitement and hope that the impossible would become reality, the example Tia found, while beautiful and similar in it's composition, was once again not close enough for me - it was not THE or identical to THE fabric and I was not going to settle for anything less.  I did, however, begin to ask myself "if she could not find it - someone who knew everyone and knew the resources and contacts that search the back roads of the most remote villages for a living trying to locate this kind of thing - maybe it is gone...MAYBE IT DOESN'T EXIST ANYMORE AT ALL....ANYWHERE!"  To make matters more difficult, nearly everyone I spoke with graciously told me that the exact fabric I was seeking vanished long ago - or they had no idea where to even begin looking!  As one man said - "Matt - what you are wanting is virtually impossible.... it (the original fabric) could have come from anywhere as there were many areas that created this type of fabric".......closing yet another door, only motivating me to keep pressing - someone somewhere knew the true story!

Below is the image sent to me from Tia that shows the fabric she located!  It is over 100 years old and while the pattern is very nice and close to Jack's, it is, once again, not close enough!




Throughout the next days and weeks that I was conversing with Boot Strap, Tia and any number of other contacts.  A couple of which would prove to be most helpful!  2 in particular worth mentioning here.  The first was a woman that had a shop selling authentic Turkish goods based out of the United States.  As I was doing a random check on a few places, I came across an interesting piece of hers that used a fabric and pattern that looked VERY CLOSE to that used for Jack's sashes.  I contacted her about where she found the piece that was made using this fabric and she proceeded to tell me she had her own contact in Turkey.  I advised her that I would be interested in trying to find an original fabric like that used in the piece she had for sale and like those in the images of Jack's sash that I shared with her.  She advised she would forward the information to her contact in Turkey who goes around to various rural villages on the country sides of  Turkey collecting unique hand made items and fabrics to sell in the marketplace.  It was a couple of months of back and forth with her, but finally she sent me two grainy pictures that her contact had forwarded!  One of them certainly peaked my interest and gave me some needed inspiration to keep pressing!  I was informed that the fabric was hand weaved on the country side well over 100 years ago and was currently owned by a friend of his.  He was willing to sell a cut of the fabric, the price of which was VERY expensive per meter.  The fabric was a very close match to the original, however, it was not exact in it's finish!  Despite it's close proximity to the original and due to the price, and the fact that I could not prove that it was from the original weaver or cut - I passed! It is a remarkable item, however, my instincts would soon be proven correct.  

Here is the only image sent to me from the contact on the Turkish country side of the vintage fabric - well over 100 years old, it is a very close match!  Given it's rarity and history, it would honestly be a shame to weather and tatter this masterful piece.  I have not ruled out purchasing some of it just to have in my collection - but would not use it for Jack - because as I would soon find out....It is not nor was it from the creators of Jacks!





It goes without saying that my most fruitful contact regarding the details behind the original fabric was Boot Strap!  I once again returned to him with questions and a statement that would foster monumental results.  

During my time between conversations with Boot Strap and many others, I watched Penny's segment about the sash on Disc 2 of DMC many times over looking for clues.  One oversight that became very apparent during those later viewings pertains to the age of the material and composition of the fabric.   I had spent a great deal of time in my discussions and research looking for vintage fabrics that were or came very close to Jacks original sash fabric.  This was never going to lead me to the original because, the original fabric was, in fact, not "vintage", but was hand weaved in the centuries old tradition of those vintage textiles and according to Penny said fabric used for Jack's sashes was "hand made by peasants in the hills of Turkey" and next to impossible to relocate.  She goes on to confirm that they had a very difficult time in trying to recreate it after loosing the fabric made for COBP sashes, which, as we all know, is not even remotely close to that used in DMC/AWE/OST and presumably DMTNT.  And because of the difficulty nature of trying to find or recreate the fabric Penny and the design team sent the "agent" to Turkey to locate the fabric.  The "fabric" located was, in fact, not fabric at all, but the original weaver (who I was still searching for at this time) that created said fabric!  Once the agent succeeded in relocating him, he was then commissioned to hand weave a fabric in keeping with the traditional methods those artisans would have used to create vintage pieces centuries ago and one that was also true to the original design and feel of Jacks sash from COBP, but freshened up for the new films.  

Continuing on with unending passion for the truth, like an adventurer searching for lost treasure - a Pirate no less, I contacted Boot Strap again, this time telling him that I had been wrong.  That the fabric we had been discussing for weeks, and that I had stated was most likely vintage, was in fact not vintage at all but created in that tradition.  I also told him that according to a reliable source, the fabric was "hand made by peasants in the remote hills of Turkey".  

His response.....changed everything - Hour upon Hour.....Week upon Week...Month upon Month of searching and conversations and people on the ground in looking on my behalf from one end of the Turkey to the next for the evasive answers and mysterious fabric came down to this moment -

he said.....

Matt....I don't know who you spoke with, but the original pieces were made by my father!  I have 1 or 2 meters of that fabric in my storage and a piece in my shop as a display.  I don't know who told you that...but there were no villagers (in the remote hills of Turkey)!  Villagers make different fabrics in Turkey, like those in the photos I first sent you...they were made by the villagers.  


I was beyond words!  His pride about his fathers contribution to what has become one of the most successful and world renowned film franchises in Box Office history allowed him to reveal to me something that he had not been able to share before that point!  I was grateful to him and thanked him so much for finally solving the riddle.  He advised me that they have a "special project coming" this year - that requires the fabric to be created again - one would be justified in his or her thoughts that Pirates of the Caribbean 5 is that project.  It is only due to this contractual agreement with Disney and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, that my sashes are not being made by he and his father - HOWEVER - the story does not end there!  Knowing now that no one else on planet earth, aside from the original weavers son, Disney, JD, and few mortals out there close enough with the franchise that may have had the opportunity to get their hands on a piece of an original,  has or will ever have the original fabric.....my mission was not in vane!  Through my contact with Boot Strap and others that came along because of him, I was put in touch with one of Turkey's few remaining master weavers who is credited with creating textiles and garments for characters in some of Hollywood's biggest blockbuster films and yes, she is located in a small village along with the 2 other generations of weavers in the family that work with her.  One of the agents I had "boots on the ground" in Turkey arranged a meeting with her to discuss my special project and she agreed - stating that she would be honored to recreate the fabric in the exact methods and materials used to create the originals for Jack Sparrow.  There is and will not be anything closer to the original sashes on our earth.

I am deeply humbled and inspired by this experience!  Not only did I have the opportunity to achieve the impossible and locate the original weaver and the small amount of original fabric he and his son, and presumably generations in the family after them, will cherish, I had the district privilege to meet so many awesome people half a world away and gain a tremendous amount of knowledge and appreciation about the people and their history!  

For those interested, I will be doing a limited run of these extremely rare and special sashes!  Each sash will be hand made to order and will be #'d in the series!  Each will also come with a certificate of authenticity from MATT WIGGINS Entertainment and Designs regarding the origins of your personal sash, the date it was completed, and matching # corresponding with the that on the sash itself.  These are not costume pieces, these are exclusive collectors items of the rarest kind,  the closest thing to the original Jack Sparrow sash you will ever get.

Stay tuned for further updates and thank you for reading!  The Journey Continues.............................................

Here are the most recent photos from my weaver in Turkey (and her village) - this is the process and progress on Sash #1 which is now complete!  The process on Sash #2 has begun!  These images are pretty incredible bring the process of making one of the most famous and recognizable fabrics in cinema history to life!    More updated photos will be coming soon!



View from a hill top looking down on the village where the special sashes are being hand weaved just like the originals!





The first stages in preparing the thread for the loom!





View from my contact outside the village where my sashes are being created!


Hand sorting the thread that will be used to create a sacred piece of cinematic and historical art!


On the Loom for what my weaver states is a "painstaking process" but what they do to put food on the table, and have done for generations.


Each hand weaved sash can take up to a week from start to finish!  These are exclusive and rare pieces that are more than just wardrobe pieces - these are one of a kind treasures!



View of the courtyard inside the village where treasure is being created!


Sash #1 getting close to completion as 3 wonderful and rare generations of traditional weavers work on the final phase.











 

[Mojo Turbo]

all I can say is WOW

[iJackSparrow]

I second that WOW. I love your great, long, extravagant stories! Your desire and ambitions are
to be commended! Cheers!

[HIGH5orDIE]

You, my friend, have a lot of time on your hands.... and I LOVE what you do with it! Great story!

[Captain Matt]

Thank you fellas! I will be posting some new updates today on Sash 2 and a few other areas of development in what we all know can be the all consuming adventures of simply preparing the complicated splendor that is our beloved Captain . I appreciate having the opportunity to share and be a part of this committed group of luting, pillaging, greedy, seedy, smelly, scallywags!

[Captain Matt]

Details in the Captains Daughter!

[ocsparrow]

That's awesome!!

[Captain Matt]

Gents -

I wanted to update this to reflect that I am offering Free Shipping Worldwide for my sashes from Turkey and offer this link to a short video regarding said sashes:

https://youtu.be/xnElOeDXL8k

While the new sashes are hand loomed specifically for the client, and take 4 to 6 weeks to have delivered to your door direct from Turkey - I do have 2 sashes on hand -

These are the first 2 sashes test sashes made by my weaver in Turkey and took months to finally get finished and delivered as we worked out details! These sashes are special to me, however, there have been multiple inquires regarding my ability to fill an order immediately - the following are details regarding these sashes - If you or someone you know is interested, please PM me or hit the Bay!

Thanks mates and enjoy the energy and vitality in your day!

SASH #1
*5 STRIPE VERSION*
*Approximately 16 to 17 inches wide X 15.5 feet in length.
*Has been washed and dried.
*Has undergone partial distressing with some holes and fraying.
*Has undergone a 12 hour Coffee Dye and is quite beautiful.

SASH #2
*6 STRIPE VERSION*
*Approximately 16 inches wide X 16.5 feet in length.
*Has been washed and dried.
*Has undergone partial distressing with some holes and fraying.
*Has undergone a 12 hour Coffee Dye and as Sash #1 - is quite lovely!

[Captain Jack Sparrow 478]

WOW this is truly incredible! Awesome!!

Which is more exact to the films, the 5 stripe or the 6 stripe version?...

Cheers!

CJS478

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