Egle Vaituleviciute’s Indian inspiration

18 March 2012 by Joyce Thornton

Knitwear specialist Egle Vaituleviciute (Texprint 2011) recently exhibited her latest creative project at the Construction Gallery in Tooting Bec, London - a super-sized weave created from her knitted ‘strands’ - the ends dipped into liquid pots of vibrantly coloured dye which soaked up the colour over time.

Egle creating her exhibit at the Construction Gallery

This latest work is just one of the outcomes of a seven-week trip to India as part of an educational project organised by Chelsea College of Art & Design and the Institute of Fine Art in Modi Nagar, India.

Egle was selected as one of two textile graduates for her creativity and research skills. The graduates travelled to India to share their skills and experience with fashion & textile students at the Indian institution.

Detail of Egle's dip-dyed piece

Egle explains: “This trip has been a life changing experience for me. I found India such a fantastic place for inspiration. I gathered so many resources in seven weeks that this will sustain me for at least a year! I learned such a lot more about textile techniques – tie-dye, dip dye, block printing - and made some great contacts. This experience has inspired me to create more exciting work, pushing the boundaries of knit and incorporating processes such as block printing.

Egle creating her exhibit at the Construction Gallery

Added to this, I loved the colours, smells and the great, warm welcome I found in this fascinating place – a world away from the stresses of London. I loved the way that people in India find the time for the enjoyments in life – I got my energy back.”

In August 2012 Egle is due to start a 12-month design internship with Tan House, a company based in Hong Kong that she made contact with while exhibiting with Texprint at Spinexpo, Shanghai last year.

http://withloveegle.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/recidency-magic-carpet-india-lets-magig.html

http://constructiongallery.co.uk/page/3

http://www.chelseadegreeshow.org/2011/author/evaituleviciute/

Article tags: knit (15), texprint 2011 (30), mixed media (22)

Paris Fashion Week:  Chloe Hamblin for Roland Mouret

15 March 2012 by Editor

Chloe Hamblin (winner of the Texprint 2011 Colour Award) is now working as a surface designer at Roland Mouret, having first made contact with the designer at the Texprint Village at Indigo/Première Vision last September 2011.  Read more...

Mouret’s signature modern lines and origami folds were softened for his autumn/winter 2012 collection by Chloe’s subtly manipulated snow leopard print.  A most successful debut design, we love it.

Images: style.com

Article tags: print (24), texprint 2011 (30), fashion (27), indigo (11)

Texprint 40th anniversary dinner at Coutts

12 March 2012 by Editor

Texprint marked its 40^th anniversary with a dinner courtesy of Coutts on Wednesday 8 March, 2012 at the bank’s head office on the Strand, London.

Hosted by Texprint’s chairman Barbara Kennington, the evening – the first such event held by Texprint - celebrated the Texprint programme which supports the best of British-trained textile graduates. The guests included many of Texprint’s sponsors, leading designers, educators and industry heads, including Sir Terence Conran, chairman of the BFC and Jaeger/Aquascutum Harold Tillman CBE, Caroline Burstein of legendary fashion store Browns and CEO of Whistles Jane Shepherdson.

Left: Sue Timney, Centre: Joanna Bowring (Texprint), Gill Gledhill (GGHQ), Anne Tyrrell MBE, Right: Professor Clare Johnston, Luigi Turconi (Ratti)

Following a champagne reception in Coutts’ boardroom, lined with hand-painted Chinese wallpaper c. 1793, the guests enjoyed a relaxed dinner, learning first-hand how Texprint helps launch the careers of new textile creatives from Texprint alumni including Michael Angove, Kirsty McDougall of Dashing Tweeds, William Crighton of Marks & Spencer, Natasha Muraskzo of Stella McCartney and Andrew Stevenson of Tom Ford International.

In her introduction, Barbara said: "Texprint serves to remind us how very important it is to encourage and support textile innovation and design, and that the textile is the very foundation on which so many of our design businesses are built..."

Among the supporters present were George Pulman QC of the Haberdashers’ Company, Peter Ackroyd MBE of Woolmark, Catriona Macnab of WGSN, Sean Ryan of Paul Smith, Anne Tyrrell MBE, Julius Schofield MBE, John Snowdon of Worshipful Company of Weavers, designer Sue Timney, and Luigi Turconi of Italian printer Ratti.

Left: Harold Tillman CBE, David Shah, Right: Alan Marshall (Coutts), Emma Mawston (Liberty Art Fabrics)

Textile education leaders were represented by Professors Jane Rapley OBE of Central St Martins, Clare Johnston of the Royal College of Art, and Kay Politowicz of Chelsea College of Art & Design.

David Shah, publisher of View magazine, who gave the after dinner speech, had his audience grimacing, laughing and listening in equal measure to his hold-no-punches take on the fashion market and the value of textile design as the bedrock of the industry.

Left: Jane Shepherdson, Caroline Nodder (Drapers), Scarlet Oliver (Clothworkers' Foundation), Right: David Eaton (Eyefix HK), Anne Tyrrell MBE

Barbara says: “I would particularly like to thank Harry Keogh, Alan Marshall and Maria Suckling of Coutts for their support and generosity. The evening gave us an invaluable opportunity to show our appreciation for the continued support of our sponsors.  Also the chance to demonstrate Texprint’s new mindset - we are finding new ways to work with industry - innovative textile design is an important element in success and Texprint can help companies explore the possibilities.”

Guiseppina Shah (View Publications), Peter Ring-Lefevre (Texprint), Barbara Majocchi (ComON Italy), Luigi Turconi (Ratti)

Article tags: alumni (36), texprint 2012 (25), business (29), general (24), champions of texprint (17), woolmark (13), special events (9)

Texprint and Marks & Spencer collaboration: Patterns of the Future

06 March 2012 by Joyce Thornton

In an exciting collaboration with Foundation Sponsor Marks & Spencer, print designs by three of the designers selected for Texprint 2011 are being used in women’s fashion and bedding collections under the banner Patterns of the Future which launched at its Marble Arch, London flagship store and online during London Fashion Week in February 2012. 

Instigated by Kate Bostock, M&S executive director for general merchandise, the project is a first for Texprint, and the embodiment of Texprint’s goal to make mutually constructive introductions between new design talent and forward thinking brands and retailers. 

Geri Tilly, Annette Browne and Neil Hendy of Marks & Spencer reviewing the work

M&S’s head of design for brands Helen Low and head of womenswear Neil Hendy visited Texprint London in July 2011 where they were impressed by the work of Texprint’s 2011 print designers. A group of the designers were invited to M&S head office where the team shortlisted three - Toni Lake, Beth Pryor and Carol Pau - with the aim of taking their designs from paper to its customers’ wardrobes. 

From the three, Toni Lake’s sumptuous drawings have been printed – by M&S supplier and Texprint supporter ATT Concorde – and used in an exclusive range for M&S within its Autograph and Limited Collections.  Read more about Toni here.

The Autograph range features two of Toni’s kaleidoscope-style drawings in a knee-length shift dress and a maxi dress, while the Limited Collection presents Toni’s swan designs in a T-shirt, a tunic dress and a zip-fronted knee-length dress. One of these pieces is to feature in an edition of the Mail on Sunday’s YOU magazine on March 11, 2012. Toni says of her latest commercial success: “I think the garments look fantastic and I now see the prints from a different perspective. Seeing the final pieces has made me so proud.”

Further print designs by the selected designers are expected to feature in M&S’s product ranges spring and autumn 2012. Beth Pryor has also enjoyed a five-week work placement with the company. Beth says: “I had a great time learning new skills and working in a professional studio environment with such wonderful teams.”

The designs of Toni and fellow Texprint designer Carol Pau are to feature on dynamic bed linens in the Home range and will be widely available through M&S stores. 

Article tags: print (24), texprint 2011 (30), fashion (27), business (29), illustration (7), collaboration (6)