Designer Feature - Saffron Craig

Today, we are sitting down with Australian designer - Saffron Craig to talk about her latest range 'Forest Elementals'.

FQ: How did you come up with the idea for the latest range?

Saffron: 'Forest Elementals is my latest range, it started after a meditation. As I was meditating and a huge ancient Elk came up to me and spoke! I sketched him and built the range around that fabulous moment.' 

 

FQ: Where do you draw inspiration from?

Saffron: 'I get most of my inspiration from a place of stillness, but the Australian landscape has a huge influence on my designs.'

{Bags made and designed by - Mel from Selkie Smith Design http://www.selkiesmithdesign.blogspot.com/}

FQ: Who are the characters in your design? Describe them a little to us.

Saffron: 'I have a lot of mythical creatures in my designs like fairies, but there’s also the birds and animals I encounter in nature, like my owls. And in my drawings my daughter comes up a lot.'

FQ: Which is your favourite print in the collection?

Saffron: 'Bird in Leaves in black, purple and magenta is my favourite. It’s deceptively simple but I find it has a real serenity to it'.

FQ: How did you decide the colourways?

Saffron: 'I work with colours that I am in love with at the time. Last year I had a thing for yellow, and still do, but this year I favour purple. I definitely like pure and vibrant colours. 

Based on that key colour I build up a palette starting with complementary colours, but this gets tweaked a lot and I go very much with my instincts. Choosing colours is a very intuitive process for me.'

FQ: How do you foresee your fabric being uesd?

Saffron: 'I can see the Forest Elementals range being made into quilts, bags, clothing, cushions, wall art, makeup bags, Manchester, magnet boards, anything really! I have even seen past designs made into jewelry. 

It’s my wish to inspire others so I get excited by what people actually do with them even if it’s to cover their folders or to make the book case look pretty.'

FQ: Can you describe to us your design process?

Saffron: 'I start with a moment of inspiration and spent hours sketching elements, redrawing and refining them. Then I create the main design of the range. When it is totally finished and I’m happy with the colour and scale I pull the strongest element out and create an accompanying design. 

From there the other designs evolve. I work with my drawings on the computer where I can play with the elements in so many ways. Sometimes I feel like the possibilities are endless and don’t know when to stop. Finally I tie the designs together with my colours.'

FQ: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your artistic background?

Saffron: 'I graduated with honors in fashion design from RMIT in Melbourne. After travelling extensively around Europe and the Middle East I ran my own fashion design label for a few years. 

I also used to paint and had a few local exhibitions before focusing on fabric design. I’m interested in all creative expressions, from books to art and music, so everything is an inspiration for me.'

FQ: What does the future hold for you?

Saffron: 'I would like for my fabrics to be sold everywhere and used widely. At the moment I am still relatively unknown and I’d really like to see it grow. I love the process and seeing the results and it’s such a buzz getting positive feedback from my customers.

Besides designing fabrics, I’ve just started a few design collaborations with clothing & bag labels and am working on an illustrated children’s book.' 

Drop us a line at customerservice@fatquarterly.com and tells us what you would make with Saffron's new range, a winner will be drawn on 15th May. You will receive a 50cm cut of each print from the aquamarine colourway.

We have been working with some of Saffron's prints over the last few weeks, make sure you stop by this Wednesday and see what blocks we have created.