Hi there!
Let me walk you through my background briefly.
My association with textile design goes back 14 years to my graduation in “Clothing and Textiles” from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. I successfully graduated in year 2000 and received ample accolades for my taste in color and delicate handling of intricacies.
My fascination with textiles surely wasn’t going to end in Baroda. In fact, I discovered a whole new world of commercial and retail textiles that was interested in my designs. To equip myself with enhanced designing skills and get acquainted with manufacturing technology, I decided to take up post graduation in “Textile Design and Development” at National Institute of Fashion Technology, Kolkata.
Kolkata really was the “City of Joy” and NIFT which is a premier Institute of Design, Management and Technology in India, proved to be a valuable learning experience. (In terms of). But then I got fascinated with Mumbai, a city that never sleeps. Towards the end of my graduation from NIFT, I could secure a coveted internship with The Bombay Dyeing and Manufacturing Co. Ltd., in their design department. I was privileged to work directly under the department head. My project, Rhapsody, at Bombay Dyeing was focused on creating themes for “Bed in a Bag” product for leading retailers in US, Europe etc. Not only could I create intriguing designs, but BDMC also offered me opportunity to produce the actual products, which were later manufactured and marketed commercially. It was great work and I loved it!
It isn’t surprising then, that Bombay Dyeing was my first employer. As a designer, during my career till date, I was privileged to design and develop products for leading brands in global markets such as Sears, Bed Bath and Beyond, Linen & Things, Macys, K-Mart, Fred Meyer, Kohl, Wal-Mart, JC Penny, Target, Ebony, Rosebys, etc.
I continued my design experience as a Designer at G.M. Fabrics and thereafter I was hired by Danriver Inc. as Product Developer.
My areas of expertise are Design Solutions, Trend Forecast Analysis and Functional Overviews, Troubleshooting in Design, Color Forecast, Woven Design, Print Design, Surface Ornamentation, Design of Theme Pavilions and Trend Forums and Design of Display Exhibitions.
During my career of 10 years, I traveled internationally extensively and attended various international trade events such as Heimtextil - Frankfurt (Germany) in 2004 and 2006, Decosit - Brussels (Belgium) in 2005, Pret a Porter – Paris (France) in 2005 and Amsterdam Fashion Week – Amsterdam (Holland) in 2005. I also participated in Trade Fairs organized in India, such as Heimtextil – New Delhi in 2001 and 2002, Tex-Styles - New Delhi in 2002 and Heimtextil – Mumbai in 2003 and 2004.
Now, about this blog! This blog is a place where I put down my thoughts on innovative design spirit and traditional expertise. I believe in the fact that a great design can enhance our lives and express our individuality so this blog will provide an insight into Textile Design conceptualization and development based on latest trends released around the globe.
I hope you will enjoy this journey with me. Do let me know your thoughts by posting comments, suggestions, ideas etc. You may also write to me at patterns.colors.design@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you.
Nidhi Saxena
