Designing the Bramble Print

Over the last year we have been working hard to further develop our Own Range. This has taken form in many different ways:

Offering Pre-Order
Plus size inclusivity
Designing our own exclusive print

Before becoming part of the Revival team I had a former career working within the textile design industry. After graduating from University College Falmouth with a degree specialising in print, I went to work for a studio in New York, followed by various London based companies. So when Rowena asked if I'd like to design a print for Own Range I jumped at the chance.

But what type of print did we want?

After many discussions we came to the conclusion that the print should be trans seasonal, vintage inspired and something that would suit both dresses and tops.

Rowena gave me a plethora of design references that she had collected over the last decade: samples of vintage wallpapers and fabrics, beautiful floral illustrations, photographs of architecture and lots of glorious colour ways. I eventually collated this down to form these motifs and colours.

 vintage inspire floral print

I use photoshop and a drawing tablet to produce designs. Once I have the motifs it's then a case of forming a repeat pattern. This can be a bit of a challenge as you have to take into consideration factors such as scale, placement, and the type of fabric that it will eventually be printed onto.

The design went through many variations but we eventually all agreed on the finalised tile below:

Vintage inspired print

We decided to add an extra layering of detailing to the leaves to add more depth to the print and we are really happy with the end result.

We spent a lot of time sampling the print on different fabrics before choosing a sustainable Tencel. Tencel is still a relatively new fabric in the grand scheme of things but simply put Tencel is a type of rayon which is made from dissolved wood pulp that has been sustainably sourced. In production it requires less energy and water than conventional cotton and it's actually biodegradable! Along with great green credentials, it's also a very breathable fabric and feels beautiful against the skin which makes it a joy to wear. What was interesting is how the colours printed out onto the sustainable Tencel fabric we chose. The navy background is slightly more purple/blue on the fabric and we actually love it even more.

Once we had the fabric in store it was then Lottie's turn to design the garments. You can read more about this process and Lottie's skillsets via Charlie's blog.

We have made two dresses; The Sloane Shirt dress and The Fenchurch Dress and The Portobello Blouse.

vintage inspired dress made in britain

It's been such a journey from designing the print whilst working from home in lockdown to now seeing it on finished garments that I can, and want to, wear. It's also not the end as I am already working on the next print and can't wait to share it with you all soon.

In the meantime why not sign up to our newsletter to be kept up to date with all the latest news.
 
Mary x
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