In 2014, Skinny laMinx designer Heather Moore was invited to teach a three day course in pattern design and generation to an international group, as part of a seven day experiential tour in Jaipur, India. The focus of the tour was traditional Indian block printing and dying techniques, and Heather’s role was to teach the group to design and create pattern, using linoleum printing blocks. She stayed in a charming old hotel called Diggi Palace, teaching in the shade at a leafy poolside courtyard.
While preparing for the trip, Heather did a lot of lino block printing in her studio, finding this method of generating pattern very exciting, because of the way the simplest shapes can generate endless combinations and variations, with just a shift of direction or colour.
Impressions of India
Heather had anticipated, upon her return, that she would create designs bursting with the vibrant aesthetic excesses generally associated with India, but instead, she found herself drawn to soft colours and delicate lines. This is what she wrote in her journal on the last day in Jaipur:
“I have come away with a sense of sweetness and calm beneath the clamour and chaos of the traffic. Delicate fabrics, the finest lines, the softest tones: My experience of India has been all about exquisite skill, craftsmanship and attention to the finest detail.”
The Diggi Dot Collection
The result is the Diggi Dot collection, where the simplest block printed motifs- a line, a half circle and a dot – combine with the fresh, light colours of Jaipur.
Incorporating Diggi Dot:
Including Diggi Dot into the existing range of prints and palette has revealed lots of new & unexpected colour combinations, which Skinny laMinx is looking forward to sharing in the 2015/6 COLOUR BOOK.
| Simple Stripe
– Lemon – Mint – Liquorice – Steel – Signal red
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Sway
Steel / Signal Lemon / Mint Liquorice / Fog
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Gridly
Steel / Signal Glass / Mint Lemon / Fog
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Block Circle
– Liquorice – Steel – Signal red
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The fabric is priced at R545/meter and is available from the Bree Street shop and online at www.skinnylaminx.com