Like many designers, I am an extremely visual person. Unlike many designers, my design process does not start with a sketch. It begins with the fabric and a major aspect that influences my fabric choice is texture.
Of my five senses, sight is the most engaging. The only other sense that plays a huge role in my design process is touch. When browsing through rolls of fabrics, my eyes are immediately drawn to two aspects: color and texture. I'm talking boucle, embroidery, tweeds, jacquards and so on. The way I see it, an interesting texture can elevate even the most basic garment. For those with a minimalist style, like myself, texture adds that extra flair that is far from basic. What I also love about a texture is that it draws visual curiosity leading to the desire to feel that fabric. This supports a saying that I am quite fond of (which also happens to be from Transformers): "more than meets the eye".
Below I have found some great textured garments made from a variety of fabrics to give you an idea of what a difference texture can make.
When thinking of textures in fashion, one brand immediately comes to my mind- Balmain. creative director, Olivier Rousteing has delivered a number of collections over the years showing intricate and visually stimulating textures. With the Parisian company's fairly recent collaboration with Swedish mega shop H&M, what better time to highlight how they incorporated their high fashion flair onto the racks of a fast fashion retailer. Check out some of the textured looks from the Balmain x H&M collection below:
The title of this post pays homage to one of my favorite alternative artists, Chet Faker's, debut album "Thinking in Textures". This Australian artist brings all the right elements of R&B and electronic fusion to create ultimate mellow vibes. If you haven't heard him, go listen.