Los Angeles textile designer Caroline Cecil makes her mark in the design world
“I think every artist strives to bring their own unique vision to life,” says textile designer Caroline Cecil, who is doing just that with her eponymous L.A.-based line Caroline Cecil Textiles (CCT).
“It’s a lifelong exploration trying to get at the heart of what you are trying to communicate and how that is reflected in what you put out in the world.” In her case, chic motifs printed on premium material.
Raised among artisans in a creative community in coastal Maine, Caroline Cecil learned to paint from her grandmother, and it’s been bold strokes ever since. “Looking back, it’s clear to me that textiles was always my calling,” says Caroline Cecil, who went from sketching and collaging in her free time to studying fashion design at Parsons before transferring to Maryland Institute College of Art to pursue a degree in textile design.
“I mixed my own dye pastes, would spend Saturday nights screen printing on silks, learned the ancient technique of Batik and other resist-dye techniques. I was so focused during my degree; and while I missed out on a lot of parties and social events, I took away an intimate and completely personal education in fabric.”
She applied this understanding first at an NYC atelier that made fabrics for couture runway collections and whose clients included designers Vera Wang and Carolina Herrera, then for large corporate companies, like Levi’s, Angela Adams and Target. But it was serving as design director for different Silicon Valley start-ups that taught her the nuts and bolts of “building a company from the ground up.”
From there, Caroline Cecil says, “I had enough confidence in my capabilities as a leader and a designer to take the leap and launch my own collection.”
From there, Caroline Cecil says, “I had enough confidence in my capabilities as a leader and a designer to take the leap and launch my own collection.”
Caroline Cecil’s line of hand screen printed fabrics originates from her India Ink paintings and ranges from bold and graphic to soft and textural. Since launching at interior design showroom De Sousa Hughes in San Francisco, the collection has expanded to showrooms in Chicago, Atlanta, and Austin, as well as those in Toronto and Australia. The first of CCT’s branded collaborations is a limited-edition pillow collection with Venice-based brand Parachute; three exclusive prints on three different colorways printed onto beautiful Belgian linens.
While incredibly curated, CCT is aesthetically balanced, appealing to both traditional to modern tastes as well as what Caroline Cecil describes as the “strong uptick in artisanally produced fabrics” that comprise the heart of her business.
“Designers and clients are becoming more aware of how hand printed, dyed, woven textiles can infuse luxury into their interior through texture and the je ne se quoi of the handmade,” says Caroline Cecil.
Forthcoming for CCT are launches in Consort design studio and shop in New York and L.A. this summer, along with an exciting collaboration in 2018 and possible opportunities in the wallpaper realm. With so much on the horizon, it’s not an understatement to say that Caroline Cecil herself is painting the town.
“Los Angeles is an incredible place to work and live as a designer,” she says.
“The creative community here is thriving and alive. As with any city, there is inspiration all around and there are so many opportunities and connections to discover. I love being a part of the design community in Los Angeles.”
