When I was a kid I wanted to design tissue boxes when I grew up. Or running clothes. Or limos. For a while I just really wanted to focus on the tissues boxes and the limos, but then, when I was in high school and joined the cross country team, I told my coach it was perfect because I could design running clothes. I'm pretty sure he thought I was nuts - especially because in 1999 running clothes were not, well, what they are today.
Fast forward too many years - after studying painting in college and France, after getting REALLY into running (18 marathons and a few Ironman triathlons later), I was chatting with a friend's boyfriend about his career as a surface pattern designer and I was like, WAIT, you can do that for a living? At the time, I was working as an apparel buyer for a run specially store and starting my MFA in painting.
So at that point, my love for a good tissue box design and running clothes turned out to be connected and I realized I wanted to learn how to make some patterns. Good thing I work at lightning speed and it took me 5 more years to actually make my first pattern :) But hey, here we are.
When I had Ben in 2017, I spent every nap time working on illustrator, learning the ins and outs of the program, and finally - learning how to make a repeat pattern (then making, like, a million of them). And guess what, I've even released 4 pieces of running apparel! A small line, but a huge goal achieved none the less.
Now I'm returning to pattern design with some fabric and, specifically, activewear in mind! I'm just getting some ideas out, trying out new techniques, and taking my first stab at trend forecasting. But it's a lot of fun. And it turns out, my forever love of mixing patterns is finally on trend.
