15 Contemporary Designers Working with Prints

Be inspired to create unique and charming clothes with the beautiful print work of world-renowned fashion designers

Julia Pelletier (@julia_pelletier) is a textile designer who has specialized in silk screen printing, drawing, and teaching for over 15 years. In her Domestika course, she will teach you to combine creative techniques to design unique garments.

Creating art that you can wear is a great way to show off your style and personality. Before you get started on your creation, she encourages you to look to some of today’s most creative contemporary designers working with prints for inspiration. Find the list below:

Richard Quinn

Richard Quinn established his namesake womenswear label in 2016, won the H&M Design Award, was listed in Dazed Magazine’s ‘Dazed100’, and named British Fashion Council’s ‘One to Watch’. He was presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design, which recognizes an emerging British designer for their “talent and originality, demonstrating value to the community and sustainable policies.”

Amelia Graham

A graduate of Chelsea College of Art and Design, Amelia spent a decade designing womenswear prints in London before moving to Paris, freelancing for brands like Paul&Joe, Topshop, and Calvin Klein.

Marimekko

Marimekko is a Finnish lifestyle design company renowned for its original prints and colors. It was founded in 1952 by Viljo and Armi Ratia, on the grounds of an old oil-cloth factory. Armi asked some artist friends to apply their graphic designs to textiles. Their unparalleled printed fabrics are used to create high-quality clothing, bags, and accessories, and textiles with a unique identity.

Mary Katrantzou

Described as "the queen of print," Greek-born Mary Katrantzou has inspired high fashion and high street designers alike. Her graduation show featured trompe l’oeil prints of oversized jewelry on dresses and took the industry by storm. Her brand is stocked from Selfridges to Joyce, Matchesfashion.com, Harrods, and Saks.

Amber Day

Toronto-born Amber Day works in NY. She mixes screen printing, digital printing, knitting, collage, and embroidery to create palettes in which fabric replaces paint.

Tali Furman Wolf

‘Texture is the new color’, is the motto of this Royal College of Arts graduate specializing in pattern design and textile development. She creates incredibly bright prints using a palette of neutral colors ranging from navy blue to gray.

Gemma Blackwell

Gemma Blackwell’s beautiful collections are created by playing with shapes and colors to create luxurious contemporary embroidery. She uses unexpected materials such as pink sponges, vinyl, or terry cloth.

Gucci

The iconic brand needs no introduction. Gucci’s prints have been major protagonists in the world of fashion, throughout the years, right up until the experimental ways of the brand’s latest creative director, Alessandro Michele.

Proenza Schouler

Founded in 2002 by NY designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, this womenswear brand is inspired by contemporary art and youth culture. Its combination of tailoring and the use of custom developed fabrics has won the duo a number of accolades over the years.

Rodarte

Rodarte was founded in Los Angeles, California in 2005 by Kate and Laura Mulleavy. At the center of Kate and Laura’s unique, romantic approach to fashion, is their pursuit of innovation through storytelling. Their vision expands into multi-artistic endeavors, including their work as costume designers, writers, and directors. Kate and Laura Mulleavy’s designs and costume work have been featured in solo exhibitions at prestigious museums.

Dries Van Noten

Eccentric Belgian fashion designer Dries, Baron Van Noten’s work is characterized by the use of prints, colors, original fabrics, and layering. His designs and their influences were exhibited in The Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 2014.

Minakani

Minakani is a surface design studio based in Paris creating prints for fashion and the home with a unique and fresh approach to color and graphics, producing strong and simple designs. They describe their mood as ‘changing, sometimes quirky or poetic, yet always positive!’

View Publications

Publisher David R Shah launched Textile View magazine to create something that people would regard as the bible of textiles, and break new ground in graphics, using people in the know, industry professionals, rather than journalists. The successful independent group includes Viewpoint (now Viewpoint Design), PantoneView Colour Planner, View2, Viewpoint Colour.

Eve Hourregue

French graphic designer Eve Hourrègue works in fashion and for the home textile industry.

Cecilia Sorensen

Finnish independent designer Cecilia founded her company in 2002, in the mountains of Mallorca, Spain. Her aim is to use sustainable, locally-sourced materials and ensure production is fair to the environment and people.

If you’ve been inspired to create a beautiful and unique print composition to be used on a piece of clothing, sign up for Julia Pelletier’s Textile Printing Techniques for Beginners, and design a garment as unique as you are.

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