Tuesday, March 13, 2012

How J.Crew Makes a Charming Print

Every once in awhile, J.Crew's 770 blog offers really interesting insight into their inner workings. Their "Behind the Seams: How to Make a Prints Charming" post is one of them:

Behind the Seams: How to Make a Prints Charming
we asked our in-house print master,
David, to walk us through how he makes
his perfectly pretty patterns

A print is born: The prints usually start out as actual drawings or paintings that vary in size from large canvases to tiny little laser-cut wood panels. We turn them into digital files, send them off and they return to us in the form of lovely fabric. We also design plenty of plaids and stripes, which are done completely on the computer, but the art-based prints are really intricate and fun.

Hands on: I always prefer working on physical objects, like paintings. I love bumping around in my studio, not having exact ideas as to how things will look, what mediums I’ll use, etc. The paint itself has a randomness that you can’t get on a computer, but there are some obvious advantages to working digitally; for example, it is way easier to create a repeated image on a computer than it is to paint it into an actual piece of artwork. And, of course, it’s always nice to have an undo button.

Keeping it simple: The more complex I make things, the more difficult they are to turn into a workable, printable pattern. The director of the textile design department is the best at doing the more complex digital side of this. There have certainly been times when I’m in my studio working and thinking to myself, “Man, he is going to hate me when I bring these paintings in.” It can be a pain but sometimes it’s the price you have to pay to make a great print!

An artist’s life: My background is as a painter and a fine artist, so I grew up painting a lot of vegetation and landscapes. When I paint for J.Crew, I’m usually inspired by the vintage fabrics they source, which are pretty amazing. I talk a lot with the designers, so I’m often inspired by what they are looking at as well, and then make new artwork based on those things. Honestly, inspiration is everywhere—I just have to keep my eyes open for it.
We tend to hear about how J.Crew goes to Italy to find vintage fabrics with elaborate patters, but we rarely hear how they transform those patterns into their collection. It was great to hear about the process.

What are your thoughts on J.Crew's print back story? Do you think their current line (of prints) stands up to its predecessors? If so, please share! :)

8 comments:

  1. OT- extra 30% off final sale items code MUSTHAVE exp. Wed. March 14.

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  2. No substantive thoughts to offer, I just really want that scarf!

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  3. I liked reading this. I was recently comparing 2 leopard shirts and my husband liked one from Old Navy or Forever 21 more than JC's perfect shirt in leopard. He said the perfect shirt had a computer generated pattern. Of course I didn't believe him. Till I read this. lol

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  4. Rose - I did see the 30% off this AM and tried to order shoes that were marked down to 129.99 and it wouldn't take off the 30%! I'm so sick of the games, and also of the same ol' prices on the same ol' items with a few new ones sprinkled in. I just bought 5 pieces of clothing from an an
    ETSY shop that were made in USA, great fabric, great fit. Have already worn one top at least 6 times, and no holes or pills!! Def. not as much $$$ going to crew lately.

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  5. Hi all, I had the same issue with trying to place an order using the MUSTHAVE code this morning, the 30% wouldn't apply to all of the items. I called J.Crew and they manually placed the order for me, so it is worth calling, they will honor the discount over the phone.

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  6. Great story. I would LOVE to work in textile design, so much fun! J.Crew has come out with some really beautiful prints and florals over the years, but so far, for me, no pattern has topped the yellow/black/cream Links Print from...2008(?). I'd love to see more graphic prints like that.

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  7. It's interesting to learn the process they use but it's not inspiring me to buy any of the prints this season. I find a lot of them look either cheap or too garish. Nothing special really.

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  8. You would think if they actually employ their own textile designers they would want the quality of the end product to match the time, skill and resources they put into the designs.

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