Getting started on some ideas for the new Fall line….so I need to make some new dresses and tops! I’d love to make something as popular as this guy….
As usual, the process starts with a lot of web research on trends, and taking a look at some of the designs coming out in big-name Fashion. Here’s some cool stuff that’s making me think:
We finally got these great pics back from fab photographer Liz Caruana this week. She put together t…
Here’s some behind the scenes action from our Fall 2011 shoots with fabulous photographer Liz …
Our hand-printed bottle openers have been getting a lot of attention lately. We’ve been hand-p…
Just got back from sorting it out at LA’s textile show and in LA’s grimy fashion distric…
Here’s the main room (receiving, sorting, computing, getting buried in boxes) in our studio, w…
Chicago-based designer Samantha Cisneros of Shapes&Colors is inspired by mid-century modern design, ancient motifs, and the ocean. AND Like FluffyCo, her studio is all about eco-friendliness and great design. This season, we are excited to collaborate on our rad new Tipi dress, using Shapes&Colors Tipi pattern made into one of our favorite cuts!
Could you tell me a little bit about your background and what brought you to textile design?
My Grandmother taught me how to sew when I was 9 and from then on I was kind of obsessed with everything fabric related. When the time came for college, it seemed fitting to do something related to fabric & art. I had no idea textile design was even a career path until I look my first applied textile class in college. The first time I ever cut a stencil and pulled a squeegee stole my heart instantly- I’ve been screen printing textiles ever since.
How did you decide to do Shapes&Colors?
It was an idea that was always lingering while I was in college. I always thought to myself “if I ever find enough time between work, internship, and school I need to start selling the things I make”. Then I loved to Chicago a month after I graduated from school and quickly realized that I didn’t want to do work for anyone but myself - what I really wanted from this world was to make art, screen print, design textiles and eat good food. From the moment I made that decision I’ve been working insanely hard to achieve that goal.
We met when you were interning at Ape Do Good, a fabulous screen-print shop in San Francisco. How long did you spend there and what’s the most important or interesting thing you learned?
First of all, Anthony Skirvin is one of the coolest dudes I’ve ever met and he pretty much taught me everything I know. I interned and then worked there for about 4 years, and it was rad. I’d have to say the most important thing I learned was how to mix Pantone colors – color mixing is crucial to the execution of a well thought out design. But really, the dude taught me how to print efficiently and well. It was a priceless learning experience.
Tell me a little bit about your process. Do you sketch by hand or on the computer only or both?
I always start off by sketching in my notebook with a sharpie. Then I either scan the pages into my computer and photoshop them into black & white images, or I put the notebook in front of me and redraw them in Illustrator. From there lots of tinkering is involved, as well as hoopla and this/that. I can spend hours in front of my laptop resizing, recoloring, rotating images.. it’s addictive!
This season we’re collaborating- putting your fabulous Tipi pattern on a FluffyCo boatneck knit dress. We love this pattern so much, it’s so simple but really has a lot of style, without that over the top tribal pattern thing that’s going on right now. Can you tell us a little bit about the inspiration for this particular pattern and how the design evolved?
The Triangle Tipi pattern evolved from the Navajo Quilt image. It’s all about slicing up squares into halves & quarters – until you get triangles. Then I do it again. I like to break things down into their simplest form. It’s an exercise in mathematics.
Is your color selection intuitive and a major factor in the design, or do you slave over picking colors?
When it comes to color, I am totally inspired my flowers, sunsets, and the ocean – but I guess my patterns are too. So maybe the design and color happen at the same time. I guess I see shapes in colors, and colors in shapes.
Favorite textile designers of all time?
Anything Marimekko! [me too]. All of those designers are amazing and totally my jam [seriously, incredible].
So are you from Chicago, or what made you end up there?
My fiancee moved here for work when I was just graduating from college, so it seemed like the right time to try something new. It’s been a pretty cool experience so far, but I miss California!
Anything you especially miss about SF?
EVERYTHING. Wait, um, the burritos! Midwesterners don’t know how to make a decent burrito. I don’t get it.
Favorite things you would miss about Chicago?
Deep dish pizza, Museum of the Art Institute, “BYOB”
Last year you got married and had a baby boy! How’s it going balancing being a working mom & artist?
Being a mom is amazing and the hardest job I’ve ever had. Add running a small creative business and I’m bursting out at the seams. I wouldn’t have it any other way though – I feel pretty accomplished at the end of the day. If it wasn’t for my fiancee helping out with everything I probably wouldn’t get anything done ever. He’s the best.
I think I saw a photo of you printing yardage wearing the baby, right? That’s pretty bad ass.
When Nico was a newborn, he wouldn’t let me put him down for a second. I really wanted to print, so I decided to try wearing him and printing at the same time. Now that he’s older and bigger it kills my back, so I don’t do that anymore. But it was pretty funny when I used to, oh the stories I’ll tell that kid!
I saw you were mentioned in Lucky Magazine for one of your pillows.
Having a picture of my wares in the magazine put me another step forward in making my business successful and awesome – I feel totally honored to have been mentioned via the shop Post 27, because that store is awesome… If you’re ever here, you HAVE to visit – they’ve got a great sense of style.
Would you ever consider expanding to something outside of textiles and wallpaper-like posters say?
Totally. I made a few posters of the Navajo Quilt print a few years ago when I first moved to Chicago and they did really well. But right now, I’m trying to focus on expanding my home goods line. More tea towels, more napkins, more pot holders!
Check out some of the coolest pillows, napkins and pot holders online at Shapes&Colors’ Etsy store HERE>
AND Pick up an amazing FluffyCo + Shapes&Colors Tipi Mod Dress HERE>
Get ready for some sweet arts. I saw a few cool things on booooooooom lately and it really made me want to check out some more collages. Scroll on.
Above: Scott Massey, on boooooooom.
Left: Another cool piece from boooooooom.But it’s by anonymous.
Right: I used to make all these over the top celebrity collages a few years back. For all the stars of 2005. They’re in storage somewhere now…. will be fun to dig them out! I only remember Penelope Cruz (above in case you don’t know), Reece Witherspoon and Gwyneth Paltrow now. Ha ha.
And check out this incredible piece by Heidi Anderson. I thought it was a stencil, turns out it’s a collage!
Then there’s my former studio-mate, SF artist Juliette Oken. Check out her show Precipice up now (with crochet installation by Sarah Applebaum and other great collage work) at Bell Jar, a cool shop on 16th in the Mission! Or check out her site, starcade. She’s a screen printer too.
So finally I started digging around in Cutting Edges / Contemporary Collage. Put out by gestalten. Lots of cool, varied work.
Cover and other cool collage by Jelle Martens.
This awesome one by Katherine Streeter, ” I want to want you” reminds of Polish posters.
Jeffrey Meyer
Various really interesting pieces by Virginia Echeverria.
Love this Architectural type work, by Genadii Berezkin
Above: by Anita Celic Cella. It is cool for me to see this idea with the eyes and pupils realized. I had an idea for the exact same thing last year, but done in stencil. I even cut the one stencil, but never ended up realizing the installation of it.
And finally, Faile. Their book has probably the coolest cover I’ve ever seen. Put out by gestalten again. I got it at the Japanese Kinokuniya bookstore in Japantown. They have the best design/art books there.
You sort of have to see it in person though, it has a really special texture that print job on it.
More pics of the art books below, especially more different collages (with names).
Like the rest of the country, I love to check out and sometimes buy the rad items I see on Etsy. After some thinking (there’s already not enough time in the day), I’ve decided to get a little Etsy store going where we can offer some of our experiments and one-offs for sale. Just for fun.
We’re planning on putting the store up by June, and in the meantime, I have been scouring the site for inspirations (and doing a little shopping.) I’ve been thinking of making some recycled-fabric, printed tea towels, and it’s cool to see so many printed textiles for sale. I made a little list of some of the things I’ve run into. Here’s a beautiful print from Claudia G Pearson. Sounds delicious too. She has a whole set of these (here), as well as some great “eat local” type calendars and dish cloths.
Here’s someone reselling a really cool Marimekko pouch. I go crazy for their fabric design. At Hanna’s Boutique.
Great wooden toys for kids and grownups at Imagination Kids…
and below some wall decorations from prolific SF artist Lisa Congdon.
Above is San Francisco, simplified, by The Harbinger Co. Below: A friendly reminder from Hello Jenuine.
Some traditional crafts from Big Brown House (keeping it real):
..and a really simple, graphic print from Canopy Studio.
Triangles look great on this simple tank dress from Jessalinb, and would look pretty fabulous accessorized with a little necklace from Brooklyn Rehab, and a smart tote from Christy Studio. Seriously.
I could go on, but let’s leave it with some really great kitchen and wall decor from Leah Duncan, below.
… the FluffyCo stuff should be up pretty soon. Looking forward to keeping such cool company, and an excuse to surf this ;little craft mecca a lot more.
More fashions!
Who can resist digging though this stuff? Not me. Here’s the Cliff Notes for some more Fall 11 fashions.
First of all, tons of great wearable looks at Sonia Rykiel. Awesome!
…and super cool goth clubwear for Junya Watanabe. These are so fluid, with great textures.
Which brings me to this crazy apocalyptic princess stuff from Chanel.
The first one’s channeling a bad schoolgirl, then of course the quilted motocross jumpsuit. And finally we have this totally witchy outfit with the zigzag hem even. These pics get bigger if you click on them, by the way.
Here’s some cool looks from Stella McCartney (left) and Valentino (2 right). Cool shapes and patterns.
And most recently…. kimono pattern and vintage inspirations at Miu Miu.
Good Times! Style is so great, I wish more people cared about it. I love to see what these design-houses have been inspired by and the new directions. See it all at the NY Times site: http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/style/fashionweek/runway.html#
