EVOLUTION OF DESIGN at WHITE POMEGRANATE

I have shared what inspires me on my Instagram page and blogs. To give you insight, I’d like to take you on a brief journey through what has transpired over the last ten years of my design path. As every designer, artist, writer, creative person, or even scientist knows, nothing happens overnight, and it is not the destination that matters but the journey and the evolution that is important for people who create.

After graduating with a degree in Fine Art Printmaking and stumbled into the world of textiles when I got my first official job at Osborne & Little in 2004. I began to love fabrics and learned to design on the job, studying pattern repeats and more. Of course, Nina Campbell fabrics were my favourites, and I adored her colour palette- sophisticated and classic, with a touch of fun!

While I was in London, my designs were very urban, and geometric patterns were my forte. Here is an image of some of my sketchbook work. I came to India to explore how I could convert these into textiles. My first love was weaving, but finding hand weavers capable of producing upholstery-grade quality was not easy, so I resorted to what was available to me – hand printing, block, and screen.

My first collection, Bauhaus, was bold and bright, and it performed well. Then life took over, and while I continued producing geometric prints, I created a few floral designs, like the ‘Frangipani’ print, which also did remarkably well. It remains one of my all-time favourite prints. Image below in sheer fabric.

When I moved to Coorg after marriage, I built a beautiful studio, had my kids, and didn’t have much time to design. However, we would go on many walks. That was and is central to my children’s upbringing. As my kids grew older, they started collecting all sorts of flora during our walks and painting on them, creating art and crafts. At that moment, it hit me – I have the best source at my doorstep: nature and wildlife. Then, I made the connection of bringing this into my work in a way that I had not done before.

I received help from some kind mentors to make this a reality. I spent a few years revamping my collection, from the base fabrics to the designs and colours. Here is a look at how some of the designs developed (not all these made it into the collection). Out of 30 drawings, only a handful were selected to be part of the new collection.

“Seedpod” made it into the collection

Sketches that did not make it into the collection

Fabrics that did not make it into the collection. The one on the left was called “Scribble” but when someone told me it looked like hair, I immediately discarded it, and it has scarred me for life – I cannot look at this fabric in the same way again – that it came from an abstract expression of something cool in my mind!

Design is also a process – it takes time to engage with it and to keep working at it. To draw something every single day and practice! Practice, practice, practice! That is the only way for your work to evolve. Of course, this time, it wasn’t just about the design but offering something different in terms of the actual textile! – The process!!

Most prints for interiors in the market are simply printed and cured, but I wanted to elevate this and take it to the next level – of course, it is much more risky and difficult to produce, but I did not want to enter an already saturated market without a unique selling proposition of sorts – I love textiles – I love craft – how could I merge the two in a way that has not been done before – not typically Indian and not entirely western either. And then I developed the printed linens after months and months of trials and tribulations – Textiles is not just about the design but also a science – it is chemistry too!! And that part remains so hidden from the world.

Flow of an old full coverage print versus

Flow of our new full coverage print

Of course, one cannot disclose trade secrets, but one can share some insights into the creation process. Sadly, many textile processes are not environmentally friendly, particularly the dyeing aspect. However, it depends on the scale of production, and comparatively, we use very few resources. While we cannot be entirely ethical, I will admit that achieving this is not yet entirely practical in our industry! Nevertheless, efforts are underway! But this blog is not focused on that; it is about the evolution of the company’s design process.

As you can see from these images, my environment has a huge impact on what I create – from URBAN living in the city, now more nature-based, and I feel most creative people, consciously or subconsciously, will do this.

What occurred to me in the pursuit of designing was that I also wanted to stay true to the cloth I was printing on – linen…the natural ebb and flow of this fantastically beautiful fabric! I don’t know why I loved linen so much, but I realised I liked to wear fabrics that felt good on the skin – we sleep on fabrics that feel good, so why can’t we have that on our upholstery or curtains- sitting on something soft and lush?

I have summed up years of work here and cannot entirely do justice to the topic at hand, but hopefully, this has given you some insight and understanding of where we began as a company and where we are going.

In the next blog, I will be taking you through our colour process and how it was developed. This is my favourite part! Have a lovely day!