Spring has arrived and so have my pure silk scarves! I'm thrilled to share my first textile design which brings together my love for fashion, art and beautiful nature.
Keep reading to find out how it was created.
A huge thanks to David Hamilton for photographing these stunning campaign images - I love them!
My silk scarf design began last summer when I handpicked a selection of vibrant Canna Lily flowers from my dad's garden, a mix of rich tropical reds, oranges and amazing spotted tiger lilies. The weather in the Wairarapa is perfect for Cannas, they grow so tall and tower overhead!
I then captured them, like I do my art prints, using a high resolution flatbed scanner, carefully arranging little compositions to isolate and edit in photoshop later. I enjoyed textiles and screen printing at university, but hadn't created my own digital print before, so this has been a wonderful learning opportunity. I then worked on designing an image of layered flowers, mixing the sharp and blurring floating petals. I wanted to ensure that whichever way you tied the scarf it would look great.
I researched silk scarf manufacturers both locally and internationally to find an experienced supplier, gathering quotes and testing silk samples to find the best quality at a fair price. I have now partnered with an excellent silk specialist company overeas that have been making printed silk accessories for almost 20 years. They are so experienced, easy to work with and their attention to detail is amazing. My first sample was practically perfect!
I took the sample to the NZ Art Show earlier this year to gauge the market response which was so positive! Thank you to everyone for your support and encouragement, it gave me the confidence to proceed. I placed my first order and we began production.
My Canna Lily scarves have now arrived and I'm so proud to share them with you - made from 100% pure silk twill with hand finished rolled edges. Stock is limited, but if all goes well I look forward to sharing more beautiful creations with you in the future.