Textile design: the essential introduction for beginners
The field of textile design is varied and wide-ranging. In addition to surface designers, interior designers, embroidery designers and historians all ply their trade in the world of textiles.
Today we explore the foundations of textile design. We'll walk you through the history of textile design, touching on the major sub-disciplines. We also look at where textile designers fit into the journey of a fabric, and how to become a textile designer.
First, a definition: Textile design is the art of creating patterns and designs for fabrics. Textiles play a significant role in our daily lives, whether we are wearing clothes made of fabrics or using home furnishings such as drapes and upholstery.
A brief history of textile design
Textile design is a broad field that incorporates many different sub-disciplines. As a design subject has been around since human beings first started weaving and sewing together cloth.
Textile design has a long history that goes back thousands of years. Some of the oldest known examples of textiles found were discovered in the form of nets and basketry and date from Neolithic cultures in 5000 BCE. The ancient Chinese people used silk, hemp, and cotton to create fabrics such as robes, shoes, sandals, and hats. They also made damasks and silk fabrics with designs. African textiles such as leather, fur, and hides date back to 5000 BC.
The modern era of textile design began with the Industrial Revolution in Britain during the late 18th century, when mechanised looms were introduced to replace hand weaving. This led to an explosion in mass production of textiles, which drove down costs and made it possible for ordinary people to buy clothing, for example, made from finer fabrics than before.
Learn more: 13 Things About Textile and Fabrics You May Not Have Known
A look into the textile design process
Printed textile design, woven textile design, and mixed media textile design are the three major disciplines of textile design.
- Printed Textile Design. Printed textile designs are produced by the application of various printing processes to fabric or cloth and other media.
- Woven Textile Design. The process of weaving fabrics creates patterns on both sides by interlacing a vertical thread (warp) and a horizontal one (weft).
- Mixed Media Textile Design. Mixed media textiles designs are produced using embroidery or other various fabric manipulation processes such as pleating, appliqué, quilting, and laser cutting.
What does a textile designer do?
We've been asked before: what does a textile designer actually do? Let's break the journey of a fabric down into parts so we can see where the textile designer fits in:
- Research: It's the textile designer's job to find out what people want, and make a product that meets those needs. They work together with people in different parts of this process, such as sales people, trend experts, marketing people, and of course mills, to reach full conclusions on their findings.
- Conceptualisation: Textile designers then need to come up with ideas for new products (is there a gap in the market?), or ways to improve current ones. They need to consider environmental impact too, to ensure that the final fabrics are safe and environmentally friendly.
- Design: This is where the textile designer gets to show off their skills and market knowledge. They use their research to come up with a prototype. Textile designers need to make sure at this stage that the design is functional and feasible.
- Samples and testing: The mechanical textiles testing stage is where the fabrics are really put under pressure to perform. If they pass the tests, full manufacturing can start. Of course, fabrics are tested multiple times throughout their life-cycle, not just once.
- Manufacturing: This is where the final fabrics become a reality, and get it ready for sale. You need to make sure that everything is safe and environmentally friendly, as well as making sure that quality control measures are in place.
Related read: How Technology Is Changing the Textile Industry
How to become a textile designer
Textile designers often begin their careers with internships and entry-level assistant jobs. The path to becoming a textile designer usually involves the following steps:
- Textile design education. To become a textile designer, you should obtain at least a bachelor's degree in textiles, fashion design or fine arts. This will allow you to learn many tools and techniques that can help your future career—such as colour theory, screen printing, digital printing, or block-printing.
- Graphic design. Textile designers generally have a grounding in graphic design too and learn how to use software like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
- Get experience. An internship is one way to gain valuable experience while you’re studying to be a textile designer. Internships allow people to figure out their specialised focus.
- Get working. To get started in the design field, look for an entry-level job. Entry-level assistant jobs provide insight into the field and networking opportunities—and can help you land a position as an intern with a more experienced designer or at a design firm.
Advice for aspiring textile designers from FibreGuard’s design director, Didier Pické
“A free mind is an absolute essential in the design industry. You need to accept everything, observe, and absorb everything in life that you can. Your design decisions will be even stronger because of this. Through accepting every influence, you’ll be able to create a ‘mental’ design matrix; a design library, museum and interpretive centre, all in one, in your head. Be active, always. Never stop moving, growing, creating. There is no good or bad in experience: everything just builds on what came before. Use your mental design matrix to find links between style and colour. Be a trend watcher always: you’ll be able to glimpse the future of design by knowing the past.” -- Didier Pické.
Read the full interview in Design is Life.
Fabrics education for a more informed future
As you can see, textile design is a field of study that’s always evolving. Textile designers will continue to be in demand as consumers continue to spend money on clothing and home goods that reflect their personal style or status.
If you're interested in learning more about how textiles can help shape our lives today and into the future, then explore our free fabrics academy. We offer a wide range of shorter articles and longer, in-depth guides that will give you the vital insights and knowledge to become an expert in the field.
From understanding the different types of fabric and fibres used in the industry, to learning about the latest trends in the market, our fabrics academy will provide you with all the information you need to become an expert in the textiles industry. Our resources are continually updated, with more articles and guides added every week - and all are freely available!
Textiles designed for a bright future
FibreGuard’s upholstery fabrics are engineered from the inside out to perform, so no wonder they’re easy on the hands (and eyes). When compared to fashion, interior and exterior household furnishing fabrics are more durable, require fewer washing cycles and have greater longevity. However, we are committed to our responsibility to ensure we find solutions for better products and product life cycles.