The studio.

Who is behind the studio?

Lucie

What is your background?

Since secondary school, I have wanted to evolve in the creative sector. Very early on, I decided to take an applied arts baccalaureate. During these 3 years of high school, my heart was swinging between graphic design and textiles, and so I had to make a choice and I was accepted into a Fashion Design School.
At the end of these studies, I wanted to discover other sectors than fashion, so I begin a Design License. The school I was in offered a Master's degree in Colour and Matter, so I decided to continue my studies and I loved these two years where I was able to experiment with colour.
During my studies, I did internships in different companies (trend agencies, ready-to-wear brands).

Describe your style.

I would describe my style as naive, poetic and colourful. I love working with prints and illustrations, mixing different types of patterns!

What are your main inspirations / influences?

I find inspiration in what surrounds me at home, as well as outside during trips and walks in nature. I am very sensitive to visuals: magazines, instagram accounts, art books, landscapes... The trigger is often a colour or a harmony.
I am very sensitive to the work of Dries Van Noten. I think he knows how to mix patterns perfectly and he has a very interesting look at textiles and fashion in general.

Which place inspires you the most?

I would say the Danish aesthetic, simple, straightforward and whimsical at the same time.

What sets off your passion for prints?

My grandmother was a seamstress and knitted a lot, I spent a lot of time at her house when I was little, so I was surrounded by fabrics, patterns and colours. Later, it was my passion for textiles and graphic design that led me to this profession, which blends these two fields so well.

Your first print memories.

A black and white gingham dress with embroidered daisies on it that I wore as a child, both playful and poetic.

Describe your creation process.

I often start with colour. When I create print collections, it is the colour that guides me in the development of the future moodboards that I create, I collect inspirational images, photographs of colour moods.
I then move on to drawing, testing patterns and connections. But sometimes it's also very intuitive and I focus on an image or a mood and it immediately inspires me to create a print! When I work for brands on a print orders, I first exchange ideas with the client by e-mail or telephone.
Then: either they give me a precise brief with the inspirations and the colour range and I make proposals and colour variations; or they leave me free to work on a theme, and I make researches, tests and finally proposals for designs.

What is your favorite medium to work with and why?

In fact I have several favorites mediums : drawing with graphic tablet, with coloured pencils, with watercolours... I love mixing techniques when I create designs and building bridges between all these mediums.

While working, what do you listen?

I listen to soul, 90s rnb and pop.

What is your job's favorite part?

The search for colours and the creation of a theme: imagining prints of different typologies that are united by the atmosphere and the colour harmony. And also when I don't see the pattern repetition, it’s magical ;)

What type of product / sector do you mainly work for?

I work mainly for textiles (women's, children's and swimwear) and for stationery.

On which fairs do you exhibit?

On Digital Prints Days Edition.

What do you want to accomplish in the future?

I would like to participate in a textile show as an exhibitor, Première Vision for example, and why not in partnership with another textile designer who already has experience of shows.

The biggest challenge you had to handle as a designer?

Take the plunge and start my own business :)

What advice would you like to give to new designers who are just starting out?

Being curious and motivated and passionate about your job, you can feel it when someone loves their work, it shines through.
Surround yourself, exchange with colleagues in your profession; this allows you to learn from others and share good practices.

Have you seen the profession change?

Yes, even though I've only recently become freelance, I've been practising for a few years now and I've seen the profession become more and more digital, sometimes to the detriment of hand-drawing or hand-painting. In my daily practice, I find it interesting to mix the two mediums, they mutually enrich and complement each other.

Do you like or regret things about this change?

No everyone create and work with his sensitivity :)