I am so pleased to share another print of mine that made it to the Fall 2013 collection for Mata Traders. The crazy thing about this print is that I designed it way back when I was an intern in the fall of 2011 for the Fall 2012 collection.
Back then I was designing all sorts of patterns that were (in my opinion) great, edgy and contemporary. Unfortunately they didn't make the cut for the Fall 2012 collection. I am going to be totally honest and admit that I was upset and took it personally. At the time I was more interested in getting my work out there as soon as possible. Most people don't realize that as fashion and textile designers, we work on collections a year in advance. After designing 6-8 new prints for Mata Traders, they only chose 1 print to go through for Fall 2012 (and it wasn't the "Roses" print).
What I wasn't thinking about at the time, was the collection as a whole. This is something I have learned loads about since my time as an intern. A collection needs to be balanced, have a variety of cuts and prints, staying safe but taking risks, and stay in a theme of color and direction. My 6-8 prints were great individually but didn't necessarily work well with what was being created in garment patterns or in unison with the other prints being used that season.
"Roses" Dresses
Luckily for me, most of those prints made it into the Spring 2013 collection (which made me personally very happy and proud) but the "Roses" print still hadn't been used. Which brings us to Fall 2013. I am proud to announce after four collections from start to finish, that the "Roses" print finally made the cut! Here you can see the print in two different color stories and on two different dresses! The First Dance Dress on the left and the Meet Me In The Meadow Dress on the right. This print has really taught me the lesson of patience and harmony. Sometimes we need to be patient in order to use something we created and wait for the right time for it to be used. When that time comes, it should be used in sync with the rest of what is created, in order to bring out the best it has to offer.