The Layered Fruit pattern is the result of experimentation, curiosity, and learning — but it also tells the story of how House of Caswell came into being.
Before there was a clothing collection, before there was even a brand name, there was a deep dive into pattern and surface design. A period of study that quietly shifted everything.
The Origin
Last year, I spent a great deal of time taking courses on textile and surface design. One focused on building layered patterns. Another explored how to construct a cohesive pattern collection.
That second course introduced me to the idea that a collection isn’t just a group of prints — it’s a visual ecosystem.
There are hero patterns, bold and declarative, which communicate the heart of the collection. Coordinating patterns, which echo key motifs with a lighter touch. And blender patterns, simpler designs that quietly tie everything together.
Learning this framework planted the first real seed of House of Caswell.
The Translation
The Layered Fruit pattern is a hero pattern.
It is the most literal interpretation of the original Still Life pastel painting that inspired the entire collection. I wanted to include the fruits from that artwork — not as illustration, but as color, form, and rhythm layered into a repeating surface.
That presented a challenge. Many of the fruits in the original painting are partially obscured, hidden behind glass or other elements. Rather than seeing that as a limitation, I treated it as an invitation to experiment.
Each fruit was isolated in Photoshop using selections and masks. I then used generative AI tools to thoughtfully reconstruct the missing portions, maintaining the integrity of the original forms. From there, the fruits were moved into Illustrator, image-traced, recolored to align with the collection’s palette, and subtly reshaped using mesh warp tools.
The final step was composition — arranging the fruits over a coordinating background pattern using a half-drop repeat, allowing the eye to move naturally without immediately detecting where the pattern begins or ends.
Why It Remains
The earliest version of this pattern included a Berried Alive houndstooth motif as its background layer — a reflection of where my creative life had been rooted for years. At that point, I hadn’t yet envisioned a separate fashion house.
As the idea of House of Caswell crystallized, I made a conscious decision to revise the pattern. The background was replaced with a motif from within the Still Life collection itself. It felt important to clearly distinguish this new chapter while still honoring the path that led here.
In many ways, this pattern documents the transition. It holds fruit — a familiar language — but presents it differently. More refined. More intentional. Less literal.
A bridge between worlds.
Becoming the Collection
A few months after completing the Still Life pattern collection, I began designing garments to house the prints. Then another collection followed. And another.
Those later collections moved away from fruit entirely, and that freedom felt meaningful. Designing womenswear again — after years of unisex streetwear — felt like returning to my roots. As a child, I filled sketchbooks with women’s fashion. This felt like remembering something essential.
Eventually, the idea became unavoidable. I didn’t want to wait any longer.
I chose the name House of Caswell to honor the fashion houses that shaped my understanding of design, while leaving room for future expansion — womenswear, menswear, childrenswear. Still Life became the obvious first collection: the bridge between where I had been and where I wanted to go next.
Fruit is still here. It just doesn’t have to stay forever.
A Quiet Continuation
The Layered Fruit pattern appears in the Mia Silk Shirt, Mia Silk Pants, and the full Mia Ensemble, rendered in fluid silk that moves effortlessly between rest and presence — equally at home indoors or out in the world.
For those who follow the work closely, the collector’s list offers early access, private notes from the studio, and first notice when new chapters arrive.
→ View the Mia Silk Shirt
→ View the Mia Silk Pants
→ View the Mia Ensemble
→ Join the Collector’s List