Saffron Rose Blackwell
BA (Hons) Textiles in Practice
Moroccan Daydreams
I am a graduate Textile Print Designer specialising in womenswear fashion. I have a passion for joyful bold print and vibrant colour. My practice involves creating hand drawn and painted artwork using watercolour and gauche paint. I will then digitalise my paintings using Adobe Photoshop to produce unique pattern repeats which I can adapt for womenswear and luxury silk headscarves.
My work often takes a story telling narrative which stems from my childhood love for creating a world of imagination through drawing. These days I find most of my inspiration through my joy of travelling. I take photos and sketch extensively whenever I visit a new place, and once home use imagery from these trips to create watercolour illustrations of the people and places that capture my interest and then develop these further into print designs by focusing on certain sections. I particularly gravitate towards urban landscapes, and try to celebrate cultural identities and customs. I also enjoy travel accounts on social media, and am then able to delve deeper into a country or place that piques my curiosity.
‘Moroccan Daydreams’ is a collection of luxury silk satin headscarves and fashion textile print designs. During my last term at university, two of my close friends visited Marrakesh and sent me photographic imagery from their holiday. I was entranced by the stunning natural compositions, architecture and bold colours and dreamt about visiting this corner of Northwest Africa myself once my studies were over. Using their imagery as a starting point and furthering with my own research, I have designed a collection of luxury pure silk satin headscarves and print designs suitable for womenswear ‘boho’ summer dresses. The collection is my reflection of the vibrant desert hues, rich culture and art that pours from the country, Morocco.
