LANDSCAPE | Q&A WITH OUR PRINT DESIGNER

A highlight of our latest collection, Assembled Fluidity, is our Landscape Print. Inspired by one of our graphic designer's original art works, the print was custom-made to reflect our stunning tonal summer colour palette. Landscape print was inspired by the landscape of New Zealand's lower North Island, specifically the Tararua Mountains that surround the Wairarapa.

We are so pleased to have sat down with Rebekah Farr, our graphic designer and good friend of Vicki's to chat about the inspiration behind the print and the process behind it.

Hi Bek, for those who don’t know you, could you tell us a little bit about yourself & how you fit into the taylor family?

Vicki and I met at a Foundation Studies Course in Art and Design at AUT in 1989. We quickly became friends. The following year we were both accepted to RMIT University in Melbourne to do Fashion Design. After graduating I slowly moved away from fashion into graphic design and have been working in that area for around 30 years. I’ve worked on all sorts of things with Vicki, including her first website in the early 2000s. Now I work with taylor to develop fabrics, campaign style, lookbooks and all the collateral associated with each season.

Where do you find your inspiration from?

I live in the dramatic landscape of the Wairarapa so I’m surrounded by inspiration all the time!

Where did the inspiration for the original painting come from?

Te pae maunga o Tararua overlooks our district and is visible from just about everywhere. It is constantly changing throughout the day, from day to day and from season to season. Sometimes the silhouette is sharp and black against a crisp blue sky, sometimes hidden by clouds, sometimes there is wispy fog around the purple foothills and the peaks are monochrome against a white sky, or the folds and valleys are rolling green and the peaks white with snow. Sometimes I’m up there with my horse looking down length of the range to the coast. The hills and valleys are fingers reaching out in ever decreasing shades of purple, teal and grey.

What is the process of taking an original artwork and creating an exclusive print for taylor?

My process changes a little depending on the requirements of the print. From totally hand painted like the large landscape print for this season to totally digitally created patterns like a small geometric repeat.

What’s the most enjoyable part of creating a print for taylor?

I made my first hand-painted fabric at 15. There is something very satisfying for me about the combination of paint and fabric! I love the mental flow of painting the most. Painting for fabric adds a layer of anticipating how the artwork will change as the fabric moves and how cutting the fabric will create many new versions of the artwork.

Describe your personal style, and how this influences your artwork?

My personal style is, um, jeans? I dress them up and down and I’d wear them to bed if I could. (Well I could…?) I also love a good wide leg pant with a heavy boot or sneaker. Simple tops are good and long dresses if I’m going out. I love to mix a bit of print in there, but I’m uber fussy. I very rarely see a print that makes me want to wear it. Getting to design and paint fabric that I like to wear is great! But I want EVERY garment that is made with it because they always look so good!

We love seeing the final product walking down the street. What’s the most rewarding part of designing with taylor?

I love seeing the final product too. I see a lot of photos of the final product and then when I am in the city I pop in-store so I can touch the fabrics!

If you could only pick three items from the new collection, what would they be and why?

Oooh… If I really had to limit it to three…the Landscape Print Inflate top, the Landscape print Slope top and the Landscape Print Slope dress because they will all look awesome with a pair of jeans! Click here to see them all in more detail.

To explore all of Bek's original artwork like the paintings above, please click here or head to her website www.rebekahfarr.co.nz.