The designs of artist Emma Hayes are hot property for textile and fashion fans.
Emma Hayes loves fabric and print, and has turned her passion into a business with the launch of the MM Collection.
Hayes, who previously worked at local fashion label Cybele for a number of years, will specialise in textile and printed products for the home including silk throws, blankets, scarves, bags and art pieces that use traditional hand-printing techniques and digital processes.
The first full collection will be released later this year, with a limited edition pre-release available online now - the silk marble print scarf is especially beautiful.
As well as the line of product, Hayes has also established MMStudio, a design consultancy service that will see her developing prints for fashion and interior clients.
"Creating textile pieces for the home is something I've had in the back of my mind for a while," Hayes explains.
"After working in graphics and fashion, and finding a lack of pieces that I wanted to buy for my own home, it seemed like a natural progression."
She tells us about some of her favourite things.
10 FAVOURITE THINGS
1. Hand-printed Cuban film poster
We were waiting for our flight at Havana Airport when we discovered a roll of posters sitting nonchalantly in the corner of a glass cabinet. On retrieval we found they were a series of screenprinted film posters. Each had been hand-printed on beautiful warm textured paper. Las Doce Sillas (The Twelve Chairs) is a Cuban film based on the satirical novel by Soviet authors Ilf and Petrov. As a souvenir it was a touchstone to the mountains of mass-produced Che paraphernalia.
2. MM Collection river print
One of my new prints for the upcoming MM Collection. It's always exciting when after weeks of development, a print makes the transition from a working drawing or digital artwork to the real thing, taking on the sheen, drape and qualities of the fabric.
3. Band Shelving by David Moreland
We live in a small place, so upon moving in we painted it white to lighten and make it feel more spacious. I like light spaces with colour brought in through print, textiles and textures. I'm a fan of David Moreland's minimal aesthetic and the Band Shelving fits in perfectly - powder-coated white with its quirky accents of colour introduced through the rubber-band bookends.
4. Werk No. 17
A collaboration by Eley Kishimoto and Singaporean design publishers Work. With a background in graphic and textile design I have an interest in print processes so I was pretty excited to come across the beautiful piece of bespoke publishing that is Werk. It has 336 pages made up of real fabric prints, sketches and patterns from Eley Kishimoto. I love the tactile nature, mix of papers and fabrics that fray over time. Each one is hand-assembled with different fabric swatches throughout.
5. Love Letters by Inhouse Design
This Auckland design studio has recently released its very own line of graphic products, beginning with a series of typographic objects and gift cards celebrating the studio's favourite letterforms. The customisable gift cards in box sets are my favourite - typographically elegant with stickers to create a custom message.
6. The V&A Textile Collection
The V&A has collected textiles since its earliest days. On my last visit, woven, printed and embroidered textiles, lace and tapestries were housed in "museum cool" vertical pull-out drawers. A treasure to have documented. A London must-see.
7. Cybele Monarch print lampshade
This lampshade was part of a limited edition series created for Urbis Design Day. The Monarch print was one of the first signature prints developed while I was at Cybele, and remains one of my favourites.
8. John Reynolds' Personal from Dead Letter Office
This work always makes me smile. Originating from the quirky personals columns of the London Review of Books, delivered by the hand of John Reynolds, it also reminds me of fond times living in London.
9. Japanese wrapping cloth
Furoshiki is a type of Japanese wrapping cloth. This can be folded into a turtle shape but I love it flat, showing off the graphic, geometric pattern.
10. My Holga camera and photos
Though there are a number of digital filters available, nothing quite replicates the accidental effects produced by a Holga camera. I love the blur, texture and light leaks. Many of the images have been starting points for my textile prints or other works.
