J.L.W Illustration: 10/08/12

Hello and Welcome to Mondays installment of FEATURED DESIGNER. Today, I am happy to share the work of the lovely Maria, of Majo BV.

Maria began the ABSPD course with me way back in spring. I've shared a journey with her unlike any other, she is not only insightful, but helpful, and amazingly talented. Here is a little information about MajoBV.

Can you tell me a little bit about your background in Surface Pattern Design?

Since I was a child I've always felt attracted to fabric and textures in general. I was (and am) one of those people that like rubbing surfaces (my dog's fur, a rough wall, the bed sheet while I fall asleep, etc). As a Fashion Designer I believe a simple silhouette can be GREAT if the garment is made up of a wonderful print and/or precious fabric, so when I knew I wanted to be a fashion designer, I also knew I wanted to be a textile designer. At uni I was able to study textile printing and dyeing and also a little bit about designing repeats. It wasn't until 2 years ago though (when I discovered the wonderful Spoonflower) that I decided to take my passion and love for textiles seriously and started creating and selling my designs through their website, but only when I started the ABSPD e-course I was able to open my eyes and realise that what I was actually doing wasn't only textile design, but surface pattern design and that I could broaden my range of products to much more than fabrics and fashion products.

What made you apply for the ABSPD course and what have you gained from it so far?

When I decided to really work on my other passion and career, I knew really little about pattern design. I mean, yes... I knew what I had learnt at school ('cause my BA is in Fashion and Textiles) but it wasn't enough. I bought a lot of books on the different types of prints (placement, repeats, borders, etc) and how to create them. I also attended a great summer short course in Central Saint Martins (Creative Portfolio in Textile Design) and learnt more about dyeing, silk screening and hand-painting fabric. I then started taking private lessons in the wonderful school of a great Textiles Professor I met last year (with her I discovered my passion for knitwear too, and even got my greatgrandmother's home knittingmachine refurbished and bring it all the way from Colombia to Milan to keep practicing). In all this time I had also been looking for a more complete e-course that could teach me more than just the technical stuff, but didn't find much. It wasn't until Dawn (a fellow designer I met through Spoonflower) emailed me to tell me she was very busy with her new ecourse, and I was like: "WHAT?! what e-course?" I immediately went to the ABSPD web page and knew this was the kind of course I had been looking for so long, but the course had already started. I emailed Beth and almost begged her to let me be part of the course even if I was late, and promised her I would have catch up with the rest of the class.

The course has given me SO MUCH! Besides all the amazing technical and business secrets I've learnt so far, it has made me regain my confidence as a designer (that was a little crumbled after so many shut doors in the past years), find my own style (still working on it, but now I'm on the right track), be brave enough to decide to just finally start my own brand inspite of all my fears and of never feeling ready (my very strong perfectionist being can sometimes be a real pain), meet so many great designers, and build a wonderful support community.

Can you describe your style and what methods you use to create your designs?

My style is whimsical, fun and bright. I usually hand draw my designs and then digitalise them on Ai or directly draw on Ai with my cute mini wacom tablet. I also like working with different mediums (collage, stitching, etc), but I do it less.

Where do you see your work progressing in the next few years, and what industry would you say you are aiming at?

I have a lot of goals for me and my work in the near and long term future. I'm currently working on developing a stronger personal style and building my portfolio. I would love to be signed by an agent to start collaborating with different brands and markets and also to get my work licensed.

I also see myself succeed with the sustainable, eco-friendly and handmade brand I've always dreamt of creating. I've already started to work on that and I hope to launch it next Spring.