Home Vs. Apparel

I'm back!  It's been a while since I've posted and it's been quite an exciting past 8 months. I spent 2 months in NYC playing and falling more in love with New York, and then moved to Plano, TX in August to start my career in design....what a bizarre kind of backwards sentence.  I had no idea what division they would put me in for the 6 month training process.  I ended up in Soft Home design...no clue what this meant, but am thrilled I was taken outside of my apparel comfort zone. A couple of weeks ago, I graduated from the program and now have a full time position as an assistant designer!

It turns out Soft Home design is just designing Home product that is literally soft - bedding, bath, rugs, etc. I am still designing for the Home division in my new position, which is what I was hoping for. I wanted to learn more about this new perspective on design, and the best part is I will eventually have the opportunity to move to Apparel in the future if I want to switch departments.  I just ordered a dress form  and will continue to keep my fashion skillz sharp!

I wanted to start my first post back describing the relation between fashion design and Home design.  I think of designing bedding kind of like styling.  You start with your main piece - the comforter or duvet, and then you accessorize with  dec pillows, window treatments, trims, and sometimes a coverlet or quilt.   Instead of having to focus on designing one element of an outfit like knit tops, I get to create a whole look through mixing prints, patterns, and different fabrications resulting in an overall statement.

I also like to think of each bed as a collection.  In apparel, a collection usually consists of pieces that have a common theme and can even sometimes be mixed, matched, and coordinated to work together. In the same way, each bed has its own story, I get to work on multiple concepts for the same season as each bed is unique in its own way.