This year marks Moda’s 40^th anniversary and Mark Dunn, president of Moda Fabrics and United Notions, has been at the helm of the company since its very beginning in 1975. Though much has changed in the decades since, there’s been one thing that’s held constant—Mark’s love of fashion.

You may remember that when I asked Sandy Gervais what she remembered about being asked to design fabric at her first Quilt Market, it was Mark's wardrobe that stuck in her memory: "“...I was so enamored of Mark’s clothing. He had on a linen sport coat with a black Aztec print shirt and black linen pants. It was rare to notice what a man had on in those days.”

Brian Dunn and Mark Dunn

Marianne Fons of Fons and Porter’s Love of Quilting describes him as snappy dresser.“I look forward to Market time to see what cool ensembles Mark might be sporting,” says Marianne. “I remember in particular a pair of awesome black-and-white spectator shoes he wore with a black-and-white outfit.”

Jamie Chupik, Mark Dunn, Holly Hickman, and Steve Morris

Karey Bresnahan and Mark Dunn

Cheryl Freydberg, Moda’s vice president of design and development, says: “Before I came here, Mark had a reputation for being THE most flamboyant dresser in the industry. He had a suit with painted flames and shoes to match. [Sadly, we have no photos of that.] Everyone would wait to go to these shows to see what Mark Dunn was wearing. To some extent they still do, but now he’s into Armani and Gaultier.”

Lissa Alexander says the first time she came to Moda, Mark was dressed in fatigues and wearing cowboy boots with spurs on the back.

Jen Kingwell and Mark Dunn

While Mark admits that he loves clothes and probably spends too much money on them, it makes perfect sense that the president of a fabric company would appreciate elegant ensembles stitched from fine fabrics. And we’re all grateful. Not only does his keen eye mean that he cares about high quality textiles and designs, but it gives us all something to look forward to. What will Mark be wearing next month at Quilt Market? Stay tuned—we’ll share it with you here!