Patternbank brings you our first concise overview of the most important print & pattern collections, from Spring 2019 RTW New York Fashion Week. Look out for our SS19 Catwalk Print and Pattern Trend Report which will be live in October, an overview of all the recent shows containing the strongest print and pattern trends.
Patternbank have been researching some of the unknown artists that are part of Outsider Art or Art Brut group and discovered these delightful drawings and embroideries by Anna Zemánková.
Born in 1908 in Olomouc, Moravia, Czech Republic, Zemánková as a child always loved to draw but was not encouraged by her parents and became a dental technician. It was a succession of painful events in her life, the death of her eldest son, several bouts of depression and diabetes, resulting in the amputation of both her legs, that at the age of 52, she was encouraged by her two remaining sons to draw.
She first worked in pastels on large sheets of paper; over the following years, she gradually developed an innovative technique blending pencil, ink, pastels, perforation, collage, cut-outs, embossing and even embroidery. If you are interested in her drawing this book is available to buy on Amazon.
Patternbank recently discovered the eye-catching and vibrant embellishments of Leeds based textile artist Jessica Grady. We wanted to find out more so we asked her about herself and what influences her designs and techniques.
I am a contemporary embroidery artist who works from my home studio just outside of Leeds, West Yorkshire. My colourful and highly tactile work has been exhibited in various galleries and publications across the UK and Europe and I am also a member of the Crafts Council’s Makers directory. Recently I have been awarded the 2018 Embroiderers Guild Scholar award.
Patternbank are loving the upcoming print collaboration of H&M with the iconic British wallpaper and textile house GP & J Baker. The new womenswear collection features cherished archival prints of GP & J Baker. Included are prints like Magnolia, which William Turner painted for G P & J Baker in 1913. The classic Oriental Bird, Blossom and Hydrangea Bird, which are mixed with strong geometric patterns such as Fretwork, an homage to the decorative inlay work of the Art Deco designer Jean Durand. Online & in store from 2 August – H&M.
Patternbank love the work of Australian sculptor Shona Wilson so we contacted her to find out more about her craft. A contemporary Australian sculptor, Shona engages with natural found material to create both abstract and representational, 2-D assemblages and 3-D sculptures. For over 25yrs, Shona has exhibited commercially. More recently she has also been involved with exhibiting science/art collaborations and Ephemeral Art making and facilitating workshops (from preschools to adults). Shona is the creator of the One A Day Ephemeral Art Project, which has inspired people worldwide.
“How can we care for what we do not know? My ongoing engagement with Nature’s fragments and invisible realms brings me closer to understanding the world we share. The materials themselves are storehouses of knowledge and information. They act as ‘keys’, unlocking doors to memory, science, history, imagination and Spirit.The intersects between nature, science, spirit, and art are potent environments to research and play within creatively. Art making can become Ceremony. My work is an invitation to marvel and wonder at the details within nature which I have presented predominantly through sculptural assemblages. The mirroring of the micro/macro world and its phenomenology captivates me.
See more of Shona’s ephemeral projects here.
Markus Åkesson is a neofigurative painter on the international stage. His work has been shown in galleries and institutions in Paris, Berlin, Brussels, London, Vilnius and Stockholm. Living and working in Pukeberg in Nybro, Sweden, his home and studio are nestled in the woods where he is free to explore motives which relate man to nature and nature to the world unseen.
He is currently represented by Galerie Da-End in Paris and VIDA Museum outside of Borgholm on Öland, where his exhibition Insominia was on show.
Designs available to buy on The Patternbank Studio, Catwalk images via Vogue.com
Designs available to buy on The Patternbank Studio, Catwalk images via Vogue.com More →
The Patternbank team once again had the privilege of experiencing this years emerging talent at the New Designers Graduate show. New Designers is the UK’s most important graduate design exhibition, full of innovation and fresh thinking. Week 1 of the graduate show focused on Textiles and surface pattern design courses and was the ultimate event to spot the next wave of creative talent to hit the industry. New Designers Week 2 is showing until this Sunday if you are in London.
Other pieces are dissected features of eyes and some elements within the subjects are left blank, leaving the viewer wondering the feelings and emotions of the model. Follow her on Instagram for updates of her work and coming exhibitions of her work here.
Designs available to buy on The Patternbank Studio, Catwalk images via Vogue.com
Designs available to buy on The Patternbank Studio, Catwalk images via Vogue.com
Designs available to buy on The Patternbank Studio, Catwalk images via Vogue.com
Designs available to buy on The Patternbank Studio, Catwalk images via Vogue.com
Designs available to buy on The Patternbank Studio, Catwalk images via Vogue.com
Designs available to buy on The Patternbank Studio, Catwalk images via Vogue.com
Designs available to buy on The Patternbank Studio, Catwalk images via Vogue.com
The Patternbank team recently attended Graduate Fashion Week in London’s East End. GFW 2018 is the world’s leading event celebrating the creativity of students and graduates within fashion. We’ve highlighted some of the strongest print & pattern focused collections from the four-day event.
Instagram – @emilyforshawdesign
Instagram – @thejupiterdrive
Designs available to buy on The Patternbank Studio, Catwalk images via Vogue.com
Designs available to buy on The Patternbank Studio, Catwalk images via Vogue.com
Designs available to buy on The Patternbank Studio, Catwalk images via Vogue.com
Designs available to buy on The Patternbank Studio, Catwalk images via Vogue.com
Designs available to buy on The Patternbank Studio, Catwalk images via Vogue.com
Designs available to buy on The Patternbank Studio, Catwalk images via Vogue.com
Patternbank fell in love with the colourful abstract paintings of Natalia Black, who lives and works in Belfast, Northern Ireland and Liverpool, England. Natalia gained a Degree in Fine Arts from the Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia and later moved to Northern Ireland where she developed and established her career as an artist.
Many of her paintings are on canvas and wood but in recent years she has started experimenting with new technologies and has made a series of digital abstract paintings on metal. These beautiful intricate pieces are created by transforming the qualities of natural landscapes into their synthetic non-figurative versions.
Talking about her art, she comments: “Painting helps me to look beyond the obvious, it also urges me to:…. don’t stop playing, don’t stop learning, don’t stop looking, find that inner child … it let’s me have fun on my own. I also find it’s a nice way to make friends.”
Patternbank are loving the loosely sketched artworks of Bristol-based illustrator Chris Gambrell. These beautifully stylised brushstrokes and unfinished pieces have a subtle but bold visual aesthetic that draws you in.
We asked Chris about his work & process, ‘Through illustration, I explore form and colour. I worked as a sculptor using stone as a medium which I think remains a huge influence for me when making images. My need to carve form and movement out of the page is still very present. This links closely to fashion and in particular the work of Commes Des Garcon and the sculptural forms created in haute couture. The palettes and textures created in fashion provide constant challenge and interest for me as an illustrator.’
‘My working process is and has always been working out of a sketchbook. Every idea is born within the pages of its blank spreads. I’m a keen observer of life around me and constantly sketch in crowds in cities and parks. My work is about play, and I am happy to be surprised by the results of using ink, stamps, paint and anything else I can lay my hands on.’
Check out more of Chris’s stunning work on his Instagram.
& Other Stories has recently launched a new pattern heavy collaborative collection with House of Hackney, featuring a range of ready-to-wear items and accessories. Influenced by works of Virginia Woolf and artists from the Bloomsbury Group, this collection celebrates nature through print & pattern. The collection also takes themed inspiration through the zodiac so you can shop via your star sign! Check out the collection at & Other Stories here.
Patternbank were excited to explore Orla Kiely’s iconic print archive last week, at the first ever exhibition of her work, products, and patterns. Orla Kiely is one of the UK and Ireland’s most successful designers. Her stylized graphic patterns are innovative, influential and instantly recognisable. With a global audience in thrall to the rhythms and repeats of her designs, this exhibition explores the power of decoration to transform the way we feel. The Exhibition opens from the 25th May – 23rd Sept at London’s Fashion and Textile Museum. The Patternbank team were lucky enough to walk the show with Orla, and ask some questions at the launch event last Wednesday.
In your opinion what makes a timeless textile pattern?
I think something that is well designed, there are lots of different styles and lots of different textiles that are timeless classics in their own right. It’s about the quality of the design work. Also the consideration of colour and not overworking the design.
Your designs take inspiration from the 50s & 60s, as well as Scandinavian modern design. What draws you to this era and design aesthetic?
I grew up in those times (the 60s & 70s) and when you’re a child you are absorbing. Things become comforting or familiar. My family had funny interior quirks. Lots of people say that my designs are comforting and remind them of their childhood.
Patternbank recently discovered the beautiful work of artist Tiffany Bozic and were interested to find out more about her work. Tiffany is a painter from Marin, California and has spent the majority of her life living with and observing the intricacies of nature. Her work on first glance is of detailed nature scenes but on closer inspection surreal metaphorical elements can be found, presenting a vision of life’s struggles and triumphs that are largely autobiographical. The subjects she paints are inspired both from extensive travels to wild places, and the research specimens at the California Academy of Sciences in San Franscisco. Over the years, Bozic has developed a complex process of masking and staining so the natural grain can collaborate with each composition using multiple layers of watered down acrylic paint on maple panels of wood. Check out her instagram here for updates on new work.
I travel to remote corners of the world, often with teams of scientists, then return to my studio to create detailed acrylic paintings on maple panels. I also host the Unlocked Art Lab at the CA Academy of Sciences. I have been showing in NYC for the past 10 years, but for this next chapter I’m switching gears to show on the west coast for a number of group shows this summer. I currently have a series of new paintings exploring the five elements of nature celebrating native PNW plants and animals, at Talon Gallery in Portland, OR. We are also publishing another monograph of my paintings this year with Gingko Press.
I try to spend as much time as I can outdoors, travel, my relationships to myself and those I cherish. In other words, I’m inspired by love & curiosity.
Our 3 day Spring Sale is live with a 20% saving on everything on our site which includes all Designs and Trend Reports. This includes all Stock Designs and Premium Designs so if you’ve been thinking of purchasing prints for your up and coming collection or buying a report for inspiration then now is the time to buy. The offer runs for 3 days only, from 21 May to 23 May 2018 – just enter the code SPRING2018 at checkout to receive 20% OFF.
Featured Design: Floral Seamless Pattern by Tatyana Anisimova
The Patternbank team were at the preview day of the Victoria & Albert’s new exhibition Fashioned from Nature last week. A great new exhibition that looks at how nature has influenced fashion design, textiles, manufacturing and pattern, throughout the last 400 years. Set over 2 floors, the first floor looks back in history and explores the evolution of how nature has impacted fashion. The upper floor is more of a present-day look at how new designers have used nature in the design process. It also showcases the environmental aspects of how designers now are looking at sustainability within fashion. We also picked up the book that accompanies the exhibition which is also worth a purchase here.
William Kilburn(1745-1818)
