Q & A with Designer and Friend to the Stars: Katherine Trigg

We must admit, we have a bit of a crush on the fabulous designer Katherine Trigg who is a self-confessed workaholic and seems to have done everything, including rubbing shoulders with top pop stars in the 1980’s to having a co-brand collection with Disney!

Katherine is mindful of the planet in everything she does as a designer. She is a mum of four; the co-founder of the beautiful JoJo & Trixie wallpapers; the designer and owner of glorious Vintage Kit children’s wear, wallpapers, beddings and lampshades; a freelance fashion stylist; anti-domestic violence campaigner; former senior fashion lecturer and friend with the stars – in fact we struggle to see how Katherine ever gets a minute to herself! Despite this, Katherine kindly took some time out to answer some questions about herself and her life as a designer, including some tips for aspiring designers.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself including what inspired you to become a designer not only of fabulous wallpaper but also beautiful children’s clothes?

I was born in the Congo and raised in Hong Kong until I was 18. I was the youngest of four but sadly at the age of nine we lost our daddy. Our homelife was chaos, but I already had this focus on clothes and could tell good fabric from bad. I was incredibly fussy on what I wore but equally must have looked crazy! I stole my brother’s paisley lycra swimming shorts to wear as little hot pants, it was still the seventies! In later years I went to university and did a fashion degree in London. On leaving I was the second fashion stylist in London, working with David Bailey, John Swannel, Lord Snowden amongst many others and my agent was Carol Hayes.

When I had my first child, I decided I wanted to raise him above all else, I left London and raised all four of them in the Brecon Beacons in a 15th century farmhouse. I grew my own vegetables and started creating. We used to own two vintage guitar stores, and we travelled a lot to Los Angeles, I would come back loaded with lovely clothes for the kids. I just couldn't find fun, designs for my kids to wear in the U.K. that weren't mini me styles. I wanted my kids to be children, so I created my brand Vintage Kit, so that I could draw all my own fabrics. My luck was that Sir Bernard Ashley (The late Laura Ashley’s husband) lived down the road with a new printing firm, so I started printing with him and was soon in Harvey Nichols, Harrods, Selfridges and Fred Siegal in Los Angeles. Then Disney came to me as a halo brand to get them into high end stores, which I did. I soon had Disney by Vintage Kit in the same stores.

Can you tell us something about yourself that might surprise us?

Gosh I think I could probably tell you a few, ha-ha, but not appropriate probably!

When I was nine, I was invited to go to The Royal Ballet School at White Lodge, but it was the same time that my daddy died so my mum said no and took us back to Hong Kong. I was the right build and loved it. Now my daughter is a professional ballet dancer with English National Ballet and it makes me grateful that I didn't pursue it professionally. I admire their strength, resilience and athleticism. I still do ballet every week at Pineapple and I still love it.

Which came first, wallpaper or children’s clothes and which is the easiest to design?

My Vintage Kit children's clothes came first, then I started doing wallpaper with that as I was already designing all my own prints and drawing my Disney by Vintage Kit prints alongside my collections. I also have wallpapers with my Vintage Disney and lampshades too. Alongside these I have my Jojo & Trixie wallpaper designs with my friend, Jo Wood.

Neither is harder just different. I would say the children's clothes are more complex as I design the garments too, babies, girls and boys. Which is much more complex with design specs, samples etc. I work very closely with an ex-Laura Ashley seamstress in Wales, we have worked together for over 19 years.

Can you describe your signature design aesthetic?

I would say with my children's clothes, it is giving the garment a 3D vision, not a flat garment but beautifully handmade, natural pure cottons and silks. This means the prints must be in keeping with the size of the garment and visually fun for the children wearing it, whilst also aesthetically pleasing for the parent.

With my wallpapers and any of my prints I think I must be true to myself and authentic. By that I mean totally genuine and creative. I find I have a clear vison in my head what I want from the design. For example, I am working on a ‘pretty’ apple blossom flower which I have been looking at for a couple of years in my neighbour’s garden as it’s an unusual blossom. I started drawing and painting it, and thought its ok to have something just genuinely small and pretty, which is so different from my fig.

How do you stay true to your true design philosophy in a world of ever-changing trends?

I really think it gets much more exciting with change, because it becomes more challenging. I rise to a challenge to see if I can adapt something to look how I see it in my head. For example, the Jojo & Trixie beach wallpaper was challenging because it came from a small scrap from the 1930’s in the States. It was an original block print. Jo brought it back from a store in New York. Nearly 100 years later and I'm trying to imagine the rest of the bathers in there and reproduce it with a handmade block print feel again, whilst making it contemporary. It took me three weeks to finish it before I put colourways in. I had to draw out the rest of the bathers in the same style, then all the water in keeping with the other water, then trace with a draper’s wheel, then redraw the whole pattern and start painting in the same vein as a block paint. It was challenging but rewarding.

Where do you find inspiration for both your children’s clothing and wallpaper designs?

It’s easy with children, I loved my kids so much and wrote children’s books for them. Many stories were based around our farm in Wales and the characters came fast for their clothes like Ducky, which is already a wallpaper. Or my mouse (I made a skirt for Amy Winehouse that I named Amy Wine Mouse). I have Pedro the robot, Red Bow Shoes, the list is endless.

I suppose my more grown-up brand of wallpapers inspiration comes from my house in Wales, the great outdoors and wanting to redesign the whole house with wallpapers and ultimately fabrics and bedding. I can't wait to get to bedding using washed out linens.

Is there a designer past or present that you admire?

I love Anna Molinari as a fashion designer but mostly her eye for prints. As a stylist I worked with many designers and have one of Vivienne Westwood’s first samples of her velvet Tudor blazer and skirt. I loved Vionnet for the line of the garments.

Do you sketch your designs by hand or use digital tools?

I always hand draw; I like being tactile with colour.

Do you ever suffer from creative block? If so, how have you overcome this?

I actually don’t! I suffer more with wanting to create constantly, I never sit down and am constantly fretting there isn't enough time in the day. I am probably the opposite in that sometimes I must make myself take a break and go and walk the dogs in nature to give my brain a rest.

What is the most challenging aspect of creating a new design?

I think any design is challenging as the process is challenging. You may start off with the design and it starts to change course and becomes not how you envisioned it, so the challenge is to bring it back to your vision. In other words, it makes me work harder until I get it to the place I thought it should be. So, perseverance really, and then it’s very satisfying.

How do you decide on the final design for your clothing and wallpapers?

With the clothes, the decision making comes with the first sample. If that’s good, it may need a few tweaks. If for whatever reason the print and the style do not marry well, then that is scrapped or changed to a different design/shape of garment.

Wallpapers you can get an idea how it’s going to look, but again its only really when the samples come back. I am my own worst enemy when it comes to colour, I am almost OCD, I know exactly to the note what colour I want, even if it’s a fraction too bright, too dull etc.

Can you walk us through your creative process from conception to completion?

It starts with colour for me with both brands, with clothes it has been seasonal and the wallpapers I have brought seasons into it. With clothes we are working three months ahead, so at Christmas it’s a spring collection! There is a lot of forward planning. With the wallpapers I like to try and season it as well, so I brought out the Sweetpea and Sweetpea Flower wallpapers in time for July/August.

I start with colour and I will already have a definite character and print in my head that I have to get down on paper. Once I have that, I then finish the design to where I am happy and put it into repeat and size, which is the real challenge. Then I get excited to see the patterns come alive.

How do you pick the fabric for your clothing designs?

I only use fabrics that come from the U.K. and only use cottons, and silks. These are all optic whites ready for me to print on. I am completely sustainable with both brands. All the inks I use are low impact.

Is picking paper for your wallpapers just as complex?

No, not really, as they too are sustainable and recycled papers - I feel very strongly about our carbon footprint.

I was asked to teach fashion as a Senior Fashion Lecturer at the UCA for five weeks and I ended up doing the year, I took the students through to their final show. I couldn’t believe that the curriculum was so out of date, it had very little about designing with a sustainable eco-friendly mindset. So, I was on the rampage to make sure my pupils designed everything with that at their forefront.

Do you have separate studio space for your wallpaper designs and children’s designs?

I have three desks, and a large drawing desk. I keep it all under the same roof, as I find it all tends to carry through, there is a nice relationship between the two brands.

What role does colour play in your creative process?

A huge role, Colour is my thing. It’s the most important part of the process to me, I know exactly what shade I need and if a print comes back and is not quite right I have to keep going until it’s the shade I need.

Do you have a favourite colour/colour combination?

Gosh that’s a hard question... blues, turquoise but then it depends on the design… it could be lime green and orange!

Do you like to use colour in your own home?

I am just starting to redecorate my home, so I'll let you know how I get on!

Can you describe your interior style?

I would say I like an eco-friendly modern style with an eclectic mix of vintage from my own childhood and treasures passed down to me from the Congo and Hong Kong, with pictures of my children everywhere and lots of paintings. I love a meaningful home that makes everyone feel at home in my house and nature. I am quite a practical person, and I love the challenge of designing an area, especially small spaces, they can be the most challenging but rewarding.

What tips can you give to aspiring designers?

Really love what you do, don't be scared to go with something and persevere until it feels ‘right'.

What do you want to accomplish that you haven’t yet achieved?

I do a lot for Women's Aid and Stepchange. I brought about an artist house called Woman's House in Hackney full of feminist artists, I would love to replicate it and build one in the Tate Gallery.

What would be your dream job and why?

I still do art production and work with my son at Geronimo Boy Films - he's a film director. I'm still designing and drawing, and I am still making. I think I already have my dream job, just making.

What is next for you, Katherine?

I would like to collaborate more, there is a someone that I will be collaborating with soon that is pretty exciting, but in the meantime, I am happy to do commissions. I love the idea of working with your wonderful paints, all the colours are so sublime.

Thank you for this wonderful interview.

If you would like to find out more about Katherine or one of her ventures, please see below:

For children’s clothing, wallpapers, bedding & lampshades visit https://vintagekit.com or go to Instagram @vintage_kit

For wallpapers visit jojoandtrixie.com or go to Instagram @jojo_and_trixie