Digging in the Crates

In a lot of ways, developing a print/pattern is like sampling in music. We would go digging for inspiration; sometimes, we travel to places that have archives that we can look through and buy one or two great pieces. My favorite way has always been to go to hidden warehouses, places that most people won't know about. Places where you will literally find mountains of vintage, and you have to get your hands dirty to find those special pieces. It's not even about finding a complete pattern like sampling music sometimes; it's about finding that small motif, like discovering a break in a song that you can loop, repeat, and finesse in your own way. I've gone on so many of these kinds of trips in my 20 years as a designer. It's always a great feeling to see all the potential when you enter a space that is full of vintage, assembling your library of "samples," getting ready for the seasonal development. Developing your print is like a song; packaging them together for the season is like putting together an album. I guess it's time to revisit my past work for a remastered greatest hits.