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Textile / Fabric Designer
Creates patterns and designs for fabrics used in fashion, interiors, and industry.
Did you know?
The teardrop paisley motif began in Persia, was woven into Kashmir shawls, and got its English name from Paisley in Scotland, where weavers copied it.
How subjects help
- Art & Design: Design patterns and colour sets for fabric used in clothes, curtains and cushions.
- Chemistry: Choose dyes that bond to cotton, silk or wool so colours won't fade in the wash.
- Mathematics: Make a pattern repeat perfectly so it joins up seamlessly across a whole roll of cloth.
- History: Study traditional weaves and prints from around the world for fresh design ideas.
A famous name
William Morris: English designer whose printed and woven fabric patterns, like Strawberry Thief, are still sold today.
Try it yourself: Find the repeat in a patterned fabric
- Pick one small shape in the pattern, like a flower or a spot, and look for the next place the exact same shape appears.
- The piece between those two places is the "repeat unit". Draw one repeat unit on your paper.
- Work out the pattern's framework: are the repeats laid out in squares, in a diamond net or along diagonal branches? Write it next to your drawing.
- Check for symmetry: is one half of the shape a mirror image of the other? Draw a dotted line where the mirror would go.
Textile and fashion designers plan the repeat unit and framework carefully so a pattern can be printed or woven across metres of fabric without a visible join.
Adapted from William Morris Gallery: Investigating Pattern: activity sheet.
Also try: Hunt for textures and make a rubbing picture.
Known for it in
Italy, India, Japan, UK, France