Premiere Vision Spring/Summer 2017

The time has come for my Premiere Vision Paris trend report. I requested a press pass again this year so that I have enough photos to make a worthwhile report. It's also really useful to jog my memory of which prints fall into each new trend.

 For Autumn/Winter 2016 I missed the Premiere Vision show as I was unable to have the time off work, this definitely had negative implications on my ability to work inline with the trends and really affected my motivation at work. It also ruined my seasonal Premiere Vision trend report as I didn't get to see the trends and so was only able to create 8 trend prediction boards that, in my opinion, were not up to the standard I would like them to be(they an be found here: http://textilecandy.blogspot.be/2015/11/premiere-vision-autumnwinter-2016-print.html).

This season, however, I anticipated the infuriating 'budget cuts' at work and how they might  inhibit my ability to go to Premiere Vision, and I booked 3 days holiday in advance. This actually worked out quite well as it meant I could visit the trade show representing myself and not a company and I actually got to see Paris. In fact, I am writing the draft version of this post while sitting in a quaint little cafe opposite the Notre Dame....it is bliss! I had forgotten how beautiful Paris actually is, normally when I visit for Premiere Vision I go straight from the eurostar at Gare du Nord, underground on the metro to Parc d'es Expositions and then back. On this trip I have been able to act like a real tourist and have visited Montmartre and the Sacre Coeur, La Tour Eiffel and Musee D'Orsay. It even started snowing when we were walking around the city on the second day, it was beautiful...a much needed break.  Here are a few quick snaps of my mini city break before I get started on the report:

I always find it quite interesting to see the display signage at Premiere Vision as it always hints at the trends they are predicting. Last year the signage consisted mainly of fruit, this year it was flowers.

Another thing I really liked about how everything was displayed for this season was the way the colour palette predictions had been hung as banners from the ceiling. Even if you didn't buy a colour tasting trend book/pay to visit the seminar, you could still get a solid feel for the Spring/Summer 2017 colour palette. From what I could see, it combined sugary pastels with warm camels and cinnamon tones and highlights of bright orange, green and white.

For Spring/Summer 2017, Premiere Vision presented 19 print trends. I have combined these to produce 15 print trend boards that I believe in, as always I have also edited some of the names.

On a whole, the hand drawn feel we have been seeing over the recent seasons seems set to continue but taking on less of a delicate linear outline form. Lines seem to be becoming heavier and more abstract; the arts and crafts style florals predicted for Autumn/Winter 2016 have moved into botanical illustration inspired florals; the oriental influence has been abandoned in favour of more Indian inspired designs and digital prints have almost been completely abandoned(which I honestly don't mind as the world is digital enough);quirky conversationals are also beginning to ease their way back in.

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Brushstroke florals are the colourful option for SS17. Reminiscent of the loose, painterly florals of the 1980's all are of a mid tooversized scale and have a free, hand painted feel.

Felt-tip florals are another colourful alternative, they feel almost like a move on from the AW16 trend prediction of unfinished florals. This trend seems to be inspired by the new fad of adult colouring books- flat colours and solid outlines with some areas incomplete.

For Spring there is nearly always a tropical trend and I am so glad that this time we are moving away from the standard palm tree imagery. Following the painterly tone set by the felt-tip and brushstroke florals, the tropical trend for SS17 also has a very loose hand painted feel. Premiere Vision has showed imagery which seems to be moving away from the palm/cheeseplant foliage in favour of more floral abstraction

Another floral related trend for Spring/Summer 2017 is the floral mosaic- the patchwork update. In the Spring/Summer 2016 catwalks (http://textilecandy.blogspot.be/2015/11/print-trends-springsummer-2016.html) we saw this at DVF, Mary Katrantzou, Etro and Jonathan Saunders, amongst many others. 

It seems that whenever there is an oversized, expressive floral trend(brushstroke florals) there is a tight and orderly counterpart- SS17 is no different. Micro-Bucolic is the new ditsy floral trend for Spring/Summer 2017. It seems to have been seeping back into the runway collections in recent seasons on the catwalks of Veronica Beard and Michael Kors(Autumn/Winter 2016). I'm not usually a huge fan of the mini-floral but it will definitely be interesting to see how designers put a new spin on this age-old trend.

In my Spring/Summer 2016 catwalk report I got quite excited about the new romanticism trend with all of the hand painted botanical illustration prints, I especially loved the yin and yang feel in the colour palettes as both dark and light botanicals were evident in most collections (http://textilecandy.blogspot.be/2015/11/print-trends-springsummer-2016.html). It was extremely reassuring to go to PV and see that they were promoting this trend, it's always nice to have the reassurance that your predictions are correct. The Premiere Vision trends entitled 'Darkly romantic' and 'Sugary romanticism' are the Spring/Summer 2017 predicitions of how the SS16 New romanticism trends will progress.

Sitting nicely alongside the lighter botanical trend of 'Sugary romanticism' is 'Indiana blooms'. In the Premiere Vision print area there were two trends entitled 'Indiana blooms' and 'Indonesian carvings', I felt that these had the same delicate floral aesthetic and so have combined them under one title. The inspiration for this trend is the 18th century Indian floral printed cottons known as chintz/toiles. This is actually a time period I'm extremely interested in and I might look into it in some more depth in a future blog post, but here is some more information just in case you're curious:  http://demodecouture.com/cotton/

From Indian to African, the Spring/Summer 2017 trend predictions included a trend called 'African fauna'. Moving away from the popular, and somewhat cliche, African mudcloth designs that fashionistas seem to love to talk about under the blanket term 'ethnic'(can you tell that I am somewhat irked by that haha), Premiere Vision showed a small range of loose, hand painted animal graphics and conversationals in earthy tones of deep brown, cinnamon and ochre. This trend was hinted at in both Valentino and Rochas SS16 collections, it is nice to finally see some conversational and placement prints making a comeback. 

'Aquatic life' is a trend prediction for Spring/Summer 2017 that will hardly come as a surprise to anyone who pays attention in the fashion world. Appearing in the SS16 collections of Emilio Pucci, Stella Jean, Tsumori Chisato and Gucci, aquatic scenes from fish to coral and scuba divers were all over the runway. It will be extremely interesting to see if this continues into the Autumn/Winter 2016 collections.

Conversationals are back, FINALLY. They seem to have been absent from the fashion scene for quite a few seasons.  As my current job involves designing conversational prints for men's shirts, finding inspiration for this in a conversational-less world has been tough. Most of the new prints for SS17 in this area revolve around scenes from daily life from washing line pegs, to bicycles. Fruit related prints were also popular, particularly when done in a watercolour paint effect.

Outline prints have been consistently popular for quite a few seasons now which makes me question the longevity left in this trend...still Premiere Vision has predicted it will continue for Spring/Summer 2017.  Lacking in colour(which is great for any commercial print designer limited to one screen) and with much finer lines than previously, this trend manages to be delicate and graphic at the same time. No matter how long this trend continues, it still looks fresh. I'm definitely going to be working into it a little and trying out this style on some conversational prints.

Scribbled hatchings was the only slightly geometric trend prediction for SS17. This trend was also predicted at Premiere Vision for SS16 (http://textilecandy.blogspot.be/2015/02/premiere-vision-springsummer-2016.html) but didn't seem to amount to anything, which is a shame as I actually quite like it. Hopefully the Autumn/Winter 2016 will start introducing these cross-hatch style prints as I do feel like the industry is missing a geometric edge to balance out all of the florals.

There were two trend predictions for Spring/Summer 2017 that I struggled with slightly, partly due of the trend titles but also because I don't feel like I necessarily agree with how they were presented. 'Primitive compositions' consisted of mark making tiles put together in a mismatched collage effect in the deep,rich colours we generally seem to associate with Africa. I love this idea and believe tiling will be a big print trend, it seems to be taking over instagram with style and travel bloggers using the #ihavethistingforfloors #ihavethisthingfortiles, but I have a really big problem with the word 'primitive'. Maybe it's a personal thing but I find it as dismissive as the blanket term 'ethnic'.

The second print prediction I had problems with was 'circular ornamentation'. I can completely understand the thinking behind this prediction as, with the increasing popularity of yoga and Indonesian travelling, social media has seen a rise in the popularity of Buddhism and the circular mandala designs that are associated with it , but I wasn't a fan of how this was presented at Premiere Vision. Instead I have combined these two trends to create a new board called 'global ornamentation'. This trend takes aspects of intricate mandala designs and combines them with more geometric mark making patchwork tiles to create a modern bohemian print trend. I actually think this might be my favourite trend of the entire bunch.

'Fused geometries' was the only slightly digital print trend at Premiere Vision for Spring/Summer 2017 and it reminded me a lot of the SS16 PV trend prediction of blurred visions (http://textilecandy.blogspot.be/2015/02/premiere-vision-springsummer-2016.html) although this one is less digital and more hand dyed.

I have renamed 'fused geometries' as 'inky glitch' as I don't really feel like there is anything geometric about this trend and they really remind me of a hand painted, watercolour/ink version of the computer glitch trend.

So there you have it- a whole set of 15 print trend predictions for Spring/Summer 2017 based on what I have seen at Premiere Vision. It would be great to get your feedback on these and let me know which ones you think will be successful/unsuccessful. 

Also, If anyone would like me to work into creating a more detailed trend pack for them please don't hesitate to contact me on here or on my new website: www.textilecandy.com. 

Menswear favourite collections

Autumn/Winter 2016 is the first season  for which I have decided to look at both Womenswear and Menswear. In contemporary culture we are seeing traditional gender boundaries being challenged and the once obvious line between male and female being blurred, this has had an effect on the runway collections. Recently we have seen an increasing amount of combined Women+Men collections and in the collections that have been gender separated, I have noticed that the women all appear very masculine and the men effeminate. Not that it makes much difference when it comes to fashion, as it is the clothes that capture your attention and steal your focus away from the model, but it still acts as an interesting comment on modern society and how the accepted norms are being altered. I am actually really keen to write a blog post about our movements towards a 'genderless society' and will hopefully get round to doing it over the next month. This month, however, is fashion week and Premiere Vision month so I'm going to be a little overworked creating trend boards.

Anyway back to the collections.....here are a few of my favourites:

Christopher Kane's collection sits perfectly with his women's Pre-fall 16 range and I love them both in equal measure. The colour palette is tight with clean modern line graphics and photographic car crash imagery. The neon pop colours in this collection really help in lifting the general Autumn/Winter colour palette of black and dark, rich, earthy colours.

Helen Anthony is a Savile row British brand that brought a colourful modern dandy look to the Autumn/Winter collections. Amongst a sea of black, Helen Anthony's colour combination of bright blues and reds infused with miniature geometric and abstract prints really caught my attention.

The Issey Miyake collection has my favourite AW16 menswear colour palette- strong, rich winter brights. Miyake mixes blue with yellow, burnt orange with forest green and prussian blue, toned down with darker shades of teal, navy and deep rosewood red.

Kenzo makes it into my favourites every time, maybe I'm a little biased but I always seem to find joy in their collections. AW16 was no exception; a tight bright colour palette and delicate linear prints set against abstract mark making designs. 

Marcelo is a brand I've never heard of but loved nonetheless. Extremely tight and appealing colour palette of Black, white, orange, blue and pink paired with an eclectic range of prints. I was particularly drawn to the styling of the collection, models with dreadlocks, piercings and tattoos- extremely laid back.

Missoni just keeps going from strength to strength, this is another design label that has made it into the favourite section for both my Men's AW16 and my Women's Pre-fall 16 group. The colour combinations, the ombre stripes, just everything!

Usually I place Moschino with Versace in my garish-borderline-tacky category of fashion, but this collection really won me over. It actually reminded me of the 1985 A-ha single 'take on me' where the singers in a comic book come to life but retain their sketchy look(if you aren't familiar with the song here's a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914&gl=BE). This whole collection looks like it has been hand rendered with the bright colours adding to the pop art-esque comic book feel.

So that's all of my favourites. There will be posts on colour, styling and print coming shortly!

My new website www.textilecandy.com

It's been a few weeks since my last post but, as ever, I am back and ready with a well prepared excuse for my absence-although this time its a valid one...

In the new year I posted a list of aims for 2016 (http://textilecandy.blogspot.be/2015/12/time-to-reflect-on-2015.html) one of these is as follows:

"I will make steps towards setting up my own business. By the end of this year I would like to have a Website, Business plan and some loyal customers that aren't just family and friends."

I thought it would be towards the end of the year that I finally got started on this, as with all resolutions, I tend to postpone them as long as is humanely possible. However, this year, I seem to have experienced a surge of motivation and have already been working on a new website design- MY FIRST WEBSITE...can you tell that I'm a little bit excited!? My blog is all grown up and turning into a website, I feel as though this is how a parent feels when their child reaches puberty...

The final website design www.textilecandy.com

 I purchased my domain name, designed a signature print for the website and existing blog AND taught myself how to add META tags into the coding...to be honest I am actually pretty damn proud of myself. So, naturally, I wanted to share it with those of you who have been following my blog since I first started.

 Also I feel like writing a blog post about the new website is a good place to set down my goals and ambitions for creating an online identity and what I see it becoming. I have never committed my thoughts for the future onto paper as it seems to require a level of confidence and a self-certainty that I have always teetered on the edge of. This being said I feel like now is as good a time as any to replace the excuses with action!

Website pages on www.textilecandy.com

I would like the website(Textile Candy) to become a brand that amalgamates Fashion trend foreasting, Print design and illustration as these are the 3 areas I feel most passionately about. I want the website to be a place to showcase my work and link my existing collection of prints and illustrations to this trend blog as, so far, they have always remained as separate entities. I want to build a loyal customer base that extends further than my immediate family and friends(my fan club). I want to be able to offer intricate prints on great quality products(Homeware, clothing and accessories) that are produced in environmentally sustainable and ethically viable factories/manufacturing houses. I want to build up a business that enables me to do what I love while helping others in some way...maybe one day I'll branch into ethical fashion. I would also like to dabble in 3d printed fashion and accessories, but this is something to focus on later. The future isn't set in stone and I am open to all opportunities but these are my existing ambitions for Textile Candy.

I could go into further detail but it's getting late and I have what seems like 5 million men's catwalk reports to complete, so with no further ado here is the link:

         www.textilecandy.com

Please all take a look and let me know your thoughts. Many sleep deprived nights of work went into creating this and I had to flip a 'simplify' switch in my brain to prevent myself over designing the pages so I really would appreciate any feedback. You could even send me a comment through the contact page ;) not gonna lie, I'd absolutely love that!

Hope to hear from you soon x

Seeing double

Recently I posted a short, well fairly short for me, review of the Pre-fall 2016 Womenswear collections- my favourite design ranges, prints and colour combinations. I also mentioned how there seemed to be an increase in soft focus 80's style photography and Victorian-esque family portrait photos. This post acts as a continuation of my Pre-fall review. Almost every design collection for the Pre-fall season featured pairs- some figures were intertwined(Yigal Azrouel); some standing hauntingly side by side(Veronique Branquinho), some standing/sitting at different levels(Erdem) and some standing slightly back appearing almost as a shadow(Elie Saab). "Twinning" is taking over. Matching hair, colour co-ordinated garments and mirrored poses all combine causing us to see double in the design collections.

Although the Men's Autumn/Winter 2016 fashion weeks are not yet over(finishing in New York on 4th February), we are seeing the twinning theme continue through to menswear although not in as many collections.

Why is it that we suddenly have the urge to dress to match? 

Could our lack of global uniformity be causing us to find unformity elsewhere? Is it to show allegiance to one friend?or does this stem from a deeper obsession with pairs/twins? Whatever the reasoning behind this doubles sensation it is obvious that this craze is gaining immense popularity both on and off the runway.

As can be seen in the photographs below, twinning is hardly a new theme. These photographs, found on Google, date all the way back to the 1920s.

I can remember being a child and absolutely hating it when my younger sister dressed to match me. I should have viewed it as a compliment but when you're 10years old and starting to create an identity for yourself you don't want anyone copying you. One of my biggest fears throughout school was turning up to a party/ non uniform day dressed the same as someone else. Now all of a sudden we're being told it's en vogue to dress the same!?

Back in 2008 Louis Vuitton teamed up with Marc Jacobs and showed a haunting 60s inspired collection which featured a row of escalators down which pairs of models came. It was like a fashion army. This is the first time I can remember seeing pairs on the runway.

For S/S 16 Rick Owens shocked the fashion world with his catwalk collection oddly entitled "cyclops" which showed pairs of models strapped to each other in what can only be described as a fetishistic manner.

Other recent mens/womens collections have also featured pairing heavily.

Top row left to right: Miu Miu, Chloe Pre-fall 16, Balmain Pre-fall 15, Dior Pre-fall 15, Trademark SS15.
Bottom row: MSGM Fall 15, Jil Sander, Emporio Armani SS15, Belstaff Fall 15, Loewe SS15.

Fashion editorials have also been completely on board with the twinning trend throughout 2015.

Top row left to right: V magazine, Thisispaper magazine, V magazine, V magazine
Bottom row: Vogue Paris, Elle Mexico, Cosmopolitan Turkey, Vogue Russia.

For Spring/Summer 2015 Lanvin did an entire editorial campaign featuring pairs dressed to match.

 

Why has 'twinning' suddenly become a thing? This trend isn't reserved solely for the runway, it's appearing more and more frequently in street style shots too. Until recently this 'dressing to match' trend was viewed as quite kitsch and rarely seen outside of Korea, Seoul and Hong Kong. Why has it suddenly taken off in the west?

When the same trend is being reflected in both the runway design collections and in street style it's definitely worth taking notice of. It looks like the doubles trend is here to stay.

Pre-fall 2016 trends and collection favourites

In an effort to maintain some consistency in my blog I've decided not to do whole print trend reports on the Pre-fall and Resort collections. Only select designers create Pre-fall collections and so it's quite hard to make any worthwhile trend predictions from these. This being said, I do want to share some of my favourites, along with any mini trends I see emerging. I might even include a miss-matched board of all the print designs which have caught my eye as it would be a shame not to keep a record of them.

First up is a selection of my favourite colour combinations from pre-fall 2016- these aren't necessarily the colours I predict will be the most popular, they are the ones I seem to gravitate towards and the ones which I am most likely to wear. Although,as a general statement, the pre-fall collections demonstrated a wide range of deep rich jewel tones, designers are beginning to show that they are not afraid of mixing colours- teal blue and salmon pink at Milly and rich purple paired with mustard yellow at Victoria Beckham are perfect demonstrations of this. 

So now for my favourite collections...be warned there are quite a few...

First is Diane Von Furstenberg. Dvf, I find, is often a little hit and miss. I always seem to love the prints but a lot of the time feel that the styling is a little off. For example I was not a fan of her recent SS16 collection(http://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2016-ready-to-wear/diane-von-furstenberg) but love what she has shown us for pre-fall. A fresh blue, orange and green palette toned down with inky navy's and strips of clean white combined with abstract geometric prints juxtaposed over one another creating a slightly retro feel.

Next...Michael Kors collection. Kors is a designer I tend to reserve judgement on, mainly because I really don't like the general obsession with the bags and watches this brand is so well known for, but I have decided that I shouldn't let this affect how I view his collections. The Michael Kors pre-fall 16 range isn't particularly ground breaking but I felt it deserved a spot in my favourites because I love the tight colour palette of black, white, pink and nude against the stark silhouette floral prints. Silhouette style florals have also appeared in several other pre-fall collections(Orla Kiely and Carolina Herrera).

For this collection, the Preen team leaked two collections: Preen by Thornton Bregazzi and Preen line. I didn't love every garment in the collections but I do think their prints are amazingly rich in colour and so have combined my favourites from both lines. A particular Preen print favourite of mine is the floral overlay on the delicate grid, giving a slight nod to the 80's. Floral grid work also appeared in several other pre fall collections(Julien David and Raoul).

Oh Rebecca Taylor! There is nothing about this collection that I didn't like. From the pink and blue chintz print to the geometric florals and the dark brights colour palette. I will definitely be working on a few versions of these prints in my spare time.

Next is Orla Kiely. A brand which is immediately recognisable by the flat colours and signature simple floral prints. Although the prints for this collection weren't exactly groundbreaking, I loved the way the photos were styled with the patterns as a backdrop.

I have to say when Victoria Beckham turned her hand to fashion way back in 2008 I was sceptical. I always find it slightly frustrating when people who have reached 'celebrity' status decide on a change of career, especially when it's a change of career to fashion. Her pre-fall 2016 collection, however, completely won me over. Colour pops and playful print experimentation along with refined styling,the collection included a blue strawberry print for goodness sake-what's not to love about abstract fruit!

For his pre-fall collection Christopher Kane used a spray paint effect to create a beautifully soft and artsy print. I love how the splattered style prevents the florals from having a solid outline. In recent seasons there has been a huge preference for 70's style florals with flat colours and solid outlines, this technique of using the negative space is a breath of fresh air. I will definitely be trying this out.

As a general rule checks and plaids bore me. I have no problem with wearing them but designing them can be so tedious and borderline mathematical which my brain quite simply just can't grasp. For the pre-fall collection Lupfer has managed to inject creativity into the plaid by layering flat coloured folksy florals over pastel checks. With a colour palette of black, deep green and sugared pink he has managed to make a strong yet feminine check.

Missoni collections always make me wish I had done knitwear instead of print....almost.....then I am quickly reminded of the amount of fights I had with the knitting machines and I realise I should stick to drawing! What this company can do with knitted garments literally amazes me. Their pre-fall collection is so lively with a huge array of vibrant colours and knitting techniques that completely baffle my brain. Particularly the bottom right image where they have manipulated the stitches to look like a digital glitch print. Wow....just....WOW!

Anyone who follows this blog will know that I basically adore Mary Katrantzou. She was the first designer whose collections really stole my attention and peaked my interest in becoming a print designer. Once again she hasn't disappointed, providing a bright range of digital prints drawing inspiration from oriental kimono artworks and curvilinear shapes reminiscent of paper folding. 

Last but not least, although somewhat surprisingly, Versace. I think this might be the first time I have ever actually liked a Versace collection. Normally I find that their garments look quite cheap with overly stark graphics and an excessive amount of gold but for pre-fall 2016 they presented a softer more print orientated collection, which obviously won me over. Not only did they have a great balance of abstract and floral prints, they also had a cool pastel blue and lilac colour palette- my favourite end of the spectrum.

In recent seasons there has been an absence of animal print, but in the pre-fall 2016 collections furs and printed skins have begun to seep back in. The Calvin Klein collection was particularly good for animal print with a soft watercolour effect print- definitely worth a look. It will be interesting to see if animal skins increase in popularity in the Fall collections after taking aback seat for so long.

So you have seen my favourite collections, but I've also chosen some prints I particularly like. I'm going to use the below board as a reference point when I finally get around to doing some design work outside of my day job. These prints will be my inspiration and I intend to work into creating some print designs based on these styles. I'm actually quite excited to get started!

For some reason, in the pre-fall collections, I seemed to be more aware of the photography and styling of the images. I noticed two fashion photographic trends emerging that I imagine will become extremely popular in magazine editorials for the next year. The first is a soft focus vintage 80's look(shown below) and the second is to style the photo as though the models are posing for a Victorian-esque family portrait.

Well that's all folks. That was a pretty epic size of a post so I hope whoever is reading this has enjoyed it. There is another post based on the pre-fall collections for 2016 which I am currently working on an will post soon- I thought it might be a little overwhelming to add it on to this one.

Ciao for now x

Time to reflect on 2015

New year is always quite a reflective time for me and while I've been enjoying the luxuries of being back home in the UK this week I have been thinking a lot about 2015.

As with every year there are a mixture of memories I will cherish and ones I will try to forget, but thankfully I can say that in 2015 I had more of the former and less of the latter! 2015 has been the first year in a long time that I have felt the fragments of my life falling into place.

2015, for me, has been a year of growth; of figuring out what I want to do and actually making moves towards doing it(still a long way off of course). I've finally managed to start creating work I'm actually proud of(see below) and instead of leaving my artworks on scrappy bits of paper on my floor I've starting putting them onto products.

Christmas presents for my family: Elephant print neoprene clutch from Print all over me (www.paom.com), patterned headphones from Origaudio (www.origaudio.com),  Elephant phone case design from asda (http://www.asda-photo.co.uk/category/79-cases).

I decided, in my reflective mood, to put together a collage of the illustrations/work I have done this year that I am most proud of. Anyone who has seen how my work has progressed will probably be shocked to see colour finally emerging in my illustrations. This is one of the things I intend to work on next year. My main Christmas present from my parents(Father Christmas) this year was a selection of art materials, handpicked by me, to encourage me to add some colour into my work. 2016 will be a colourful year....hopefully!

I also finally got my act together and started working on a new logo(below middle) and website which I am hoping to Launch in time for my birthday at the beginning of February.....watch this space...

Other than the work I've done this year, It has also been very interesting in terms of where I've been living and where I have travelled to. Getting out of London may well have been the best decision I ever made. I love London; I love the people I met there, the diverse culture, the social atmosphere and EVEN the guys I dated there. However, in London it is very hard to save money, the quality of your life is limited by your salary....and I work in the fashion industry so..... I lived in some 'quirky' warehouse conversions, which caused some people to assume I lived in an uninhabitable warehouse/crack den but, because rent in London is sky high, this was all I could afford. London s great if you earn a lot of money and can afford to have a social life; it's great if you want to start up a creative business(there are so many platforms for this), but if you work in London for less than 19k/yr you will get in debt and you will have to leave to maintain some form of balance in your life.

So I left. I move to Dusseldorf in Germany and then to Brussels(Belgium). This year I have travelled to Cologne, Antwerp and Amsterdam- none if which would have been possible had I stayed in London. I could not feel more blessed. Moving to Europe for work has enabled me to finally make a dint in paying off my overdrafts(they will be completely paid off before my birthday in February 2016). So here are a few photos from my travels...

1st column top to bottom: Dusseldorf Konigsallee, Cherry blossom on my street in Dusseldorf, houses by the canal in Amsterdam. 2nd column top to bottom: St Pauls Cathedral London, Countryside in Yorkshire, Church bells in Corfu(Greece), beach in Corfu. 3rd column top to bottom:  Brussels Grand place, Antwerp city centre, Brussels Grand place at night.

I have made some amazing friends this year, both in Germany and in Brussels, that have made moving away from home so much easier than I thought it would be. I have also been so fortunate to have friends from the UK come and visit me in my new surroundings.

On a rather serious note(generally I like to keep my more personal blog posts fairly lighthearted) I think everyone who has ever had a serious break up will know that it leaves you feeling empty and unsure of who you are. When you spend the majority of your time over a period of several years with one person, planning a future together, and then somehow it goes wrong(as many relationships do) you are left with a fragmented vision of the future that no longer includes the other person. This can be a great opportunity to re-design your life, it can also be extremely daunting. I found it to be the latter. 2015 was the first year I have felt like myself again; the first year I have felt completely happy and content with myself and the direction my life is heading. I am more confident in my creative abilities and my ability to form firm and lasting friendships and I am quickly discovering that I am a great deal braver than I thought. To all the friends that have emotionally supported me and excercised a great level of patience with me over the past few years- thank you, and to all the new friends I have made this year- I am so so glad our paths have crossed.

It was hard to select memories with friends for this year as I have so many, but I decided to choose snapshots from where I felt the happiest...

As dramatic as this may sound, 2015 has been a life changing year. I have lived in 2 different countries; paid off my overdrafts; FINALLY joined a gym and embraced a healthy excercise routine. I even took a break from dating(pretty serious for me...being in a country where I am attracted to very few people helps a bunch). I have learnt a lot about myself; my personality and my aspirations for the future. I am realising, as delayed as this epiphany may be, that I am me...and that's okay, in fact its pretty good. As a child I loved Dr. Seuss and my current feeling can be summarised in this quote...

So in 2016 I intend to be the most me-est version of me I can be.

Here are my resolutions/promises to myself for the coming year:

- Firstly I WILL learn French

- I will make steps towards setting up my own business. By the end of this year I would like to have a Website, Business plan and some loyal customers that aren't just family and friends.

- I will maintain my healthy eating/excercise routine

- I will save money towards setting up a creative business

- and lastly, but by no means least, I will make sure I get dressed and out of the house every weekend, I must not stay in my Pyjamas all weekend pretending to draw.

All are attainable goals.

Also 3 pieces of advice to myself for 2016:

- If you're feeling drunk on a night out- stop drinking

- If you don't like a guy you're on a date with you don't have to go out with him again- you're allowed to say no!!!

- Finally, Live colourfully!In clothing choices and in illustration work- no more black and white unless its commissioned.

Next year I already have plans to go to Amsterdam and Dusseldorf in January, Paris in February, UK in April and Italy in October so I have a lot to get excited about. As those of you who follow me on instagram will have seen, I posted this definition on my instafeed:

This is how I feel about next year.

I hope you all have a great start to the new year,whatever you may be doing! Let's make 2016 colourful, exciting and a year to be remembered and looked back on with joy and fondness! Speak to you next year ;) x

Catch up: Brussels lockdown and business aspirations

Things have been a little crazy for me recently. As anyone who reads this blog or knows me will be aware, in August this year I moved to Brussels. This past month Brussels has been more than a little hectic. The terror threat level was raised to 4 and the military moved in. Brussels was put on a lockdown. The presence of that many armed soldiers alarmed me as London is also on a level 4 threat but there is never an obvious military presence there. It seems like the protocol here is to hold off on increasing the threat level until absolutely necessary, whereas in London it is used more as a precaution.

Unfortunately none of these photos are mine as my phone containing all of my photos has recently been stolen. All photographs were found on Google.

The tag #Brusselslockdown became an internet sensation with people posting photos of cats to baffle the terrorists hiding out in the city. As interesting and upbeat a response as this was, it didn't make me feel any better about the fact that the people responsible for the Paris attacks were being arrested quite literally a few streets from my house. 

Photographs all found on google.

Oddly enough, the lockdown didn't interfere too much with my standard weekend routine of staying in bed, snuggling and drawing. As the lockdown on schools and transportation continued into the week I felt it was best to work from home on the Monday. I had completely forgotten how much I love doing this and it really made me miss freelancing. I think it's safe to say that, if you're creative by nature, an office environment is not where you are most productive. In bed with cushions, coffee and Christmas movies, however, is the best place to design Christmas fair-isle prints.

Some of the Fair-isle prints I worked on from my bed office during the lockdown week

I did have some photos I wanted to upload in this 'catch up' post of things I have been working on and photos of the numerous army trucks that have been stationed in the city but, in a recent alcohol incident, my phone was stolen/lost. The alcohol incident being that I consumed too much alcohol and left my phone on a table where someone then stole it(Belgian beer is sneaky like that- 3 glasses and I'm done). 

My lovely little phone has now been gone for a week and I feel like I have had a limb amputated. I find it remarkable how dependent I am on something so materialistic. This small object had literally become an extension of my hand, I am now experiencing a technological version of phantom limb syndrome.... I keep reaching for my phone to check the time; scroll through instagram; look at my blog statistics, do some pinterest research- only to find that the phone isn't there. I miss that heavy reassuring feeling in my pocket. I miss having a distraction in awkward situations. I miss instagram. For the past two Sundays I have been at a complete loss about what to do in the evenings as I no longer have tinder. 

One thing I am noticing in the absence of an iphone is that I am filling the void with actual substance. Where I would normally be scrolling through other people's lives and doing 'pinterest research', I am now making plans, writing more, and working on illustrations. I am actually really enjoying not have a piece of tech constantly strapped to my hand, but I still can't wait to get my replacement next week. 

A few Christmas character illustrations I have been working on

Prints of mine that have recently been in stores. Top row images are designs in C&A, bottom row: George at ASDA, George at ASDA, Marks and Spencers, George at ASDA, F&F at Tesco.

As mentioned earlier I have been missing freelancing quite a lot recently, not just working to more creative briefs but also being able to manage my own time and set my own deadlines. I find working in an office environment extremely difficult for so many reasons: 

- Firstly I am not a 9-5 person, I start waking up and properly engaging my brain around 11.30am(just in time for lunch which has to be taken between set times in the work canteen). Working from home I can start and finish whenever I choose and eat whenever I want to which is usually around 3.30pm, not between 12-2pm....

- I find creativity comes naturally to me in the evenings, post 6pm usually which doesn't really work well when you're working 9-5 in a creative job role. I can be tired and not in a creative mood all day until I get home and then suddenly my brain kicks into action, very inconvenient.

- In office's there seems to be a great deal of micro managing and other people trying to order your workload for you, I like to organise my work into an order that will enhance my creativity and increase my productivity levels....more often than not, my workload organisation makes little sense to everyone else, which is where micro-managing can occur.

Jason Fried's TedTalk explains this problem perfectly.

I know at some stage I want to set up my own business. I don't know exactly when and I also need to clarify what the start-up will involve, but it's definitely on the cards. Anyway this past week I have not been able to get the idea of starting up my own creative business out of my head.....so I'm taking some action towards this goal. I've started a business plan sketch book where I can keep all of my ideas from website layouts to garment tags, logo designs to pricing sheets and everything in between. Hopefully by doing this I will be able to de-muddle my head and move towards creating a professional business plan. I am really keen to create a strong brand identity to start me off and then, with any luck, the business plan will fall together.

As a step towards this I have re-designed my logo and created an intricate design that can also be simplified for price tags and clothing labels. I am actually(for once) really happy with it. I wanted the logo to reflect me as well as the business I intend to pursue so, as odd as it sounds, I chose a font based on this. I am short(5ft) and fairly rounded and so I chose a font to reflect that. I am aware that sounds like an awful joke, but that is the genuine reason for the font choice.

As it's all quite new to me I would love feedback on the logo design and any advice/tips anyone has for creative start up businesses. I want to focus quite a few blog posts on start-ups and maybe do a few case studies on ones I think have worked well.

Brand logo on the left, simplified tag logo/stamp on the right

I have also changed my blog layout(again!)so that it compliments the new logo. I've simplified the template and added a new black and white pattern to the background. One day I want to find the time to sit and create a stylised background print that will become the brands signature print. Maybe I'll tackle this when I create a website. No doubt the blog layout will change several more times before I find one I can truly commit to.....finding a blog template is a little bit like dating ;)

Next on my business 'to do' list is to secure a domain name and create a website....which will hopefully happen near the beginning of next year. Firstly I have to do some research into what I want the website to look like and what information I want to include. Hopefully when I get my new phone I can post some photos of my business plan sketch book and give you all an insight into my ideas.

Ciao for now x