Textures, details, and layers—these are all things we love as textile designers and no one uses them in a more exquisite way than designer Gauri Malhotra. We first featured Gauri back in 2014 and instantly fell in love with her process and her creative story. Since that time, she’s continued creating but has shifted her direction. Today, she chooses to focus on “experimentation and understanding of materials to create texture and surfaces”.
According to Gauri, “My inspiration comes from material itself, whether it be a fabric like denim or taffeta, or a copper wire or vinyl, or perhaps the combination of them all? It’s always the magical question, ‘what if?’.”
When asked about how she decided to shift her focus in this direction, Gauri said, “Working with and for designers with varied aesthetics has really helped me open up my mind and grow as a designer.” As designers, we all want this and watching somebody be so successful at it is a wonderful example we can all learn from.
With my career, working with clients with “varied aesthetics” is something that I love to do. However, this exercise can be applied to any designer’s creative process. If you normally design for womenswear, you might want to consider designing your next collection for the menswear industry. Or if you normally design for a more trendy customer, brainstorm ways to apply your style to a more conservative customer. Don’t be afraid to attempt the new and challenge your creativity, because you’ll likely surprise yourself in a most pleasant way.
I encourage you to check out more of Gauri Malhotra’s work on her Tumblr and Instagram accounts.
Be inspired, and be well.
Michelle
