The Layered Fruit Pattern

The Layered Fruit pattern in my Still Life collection is the result of a lot of learning and experimentation, and it also tells the story behind the brand itself. I was taking a lot of courses through Skillshare last year on pattern and surface design for textiles. One of the courses was on how to make a layered pattern, which I chose to do with this pattern, and another course was on creating a pattern collection, which is actually how the seed of the House of Caswell idea was planted.

I learned about how a pattern collection consists of Hero Patterns, which are the big, bold patterns that tell you what the collection is about and are the main focus of the collection. Then there are Coordinating Patterns, which are secondary designs that can be slightly less bold but still contain some of the same elements or motifs as the hero patterns. And finally, there are the simpler Blender Patterns, that tie the whole collection together, often using fewer colors from the palette.

The Layered Fruit pattern is a hero pattern. Not only does it have one of the collection’s coordinating patterns as a backdrop, but to me, this pattern tells the story of the Still Life collection, and it tells my story too. Before I started House of Caswell, I was always thinking in terms of fruit and how I could incorporate fruit elements into my art, because of Berried Alive.

The original Layered Fruit pattern I created actually included the Berried Alive Houndstooth pattern I designed a few years ago as the background layer, rather than the Retro Balls pattern from the Still Life collection that exists there now. (See the image below.) I hadn’t yet thought about creating a new brand altogether and finally pursuing my dreams of being a women’s designer.

The original Layered Fruit print, with the Berried Alive Houndstooth in the background

This pattern, being one of the hero patterns from the collection, is the most literal interpretation of the original Still Life pastel painting I based the whole pattern collection around. I wanted to find a way to include the actual fruits from the original artwork, but in more of a color-pop form, using colors mostly taken directly from the collection’s color palette. My challenge here was that many of the fruits in the original artwork are hiding behind other elements, so the entire fruit isn’t showing. This led to some fun experimentation and embracing the AI art tools now available in a way that still maintains artistic integrity.

My solution to the hiding fruits problem was to isolate each fruit in Photoshop using the selection tool and masks, and then I used Generative AI to fill in the parts of the fruits that were hidden. With that complete, I moved the fruits into Illustrator to Image Trace the fruits and worked them into the color palette of the collection as much as possible. I also used the mesh warp tool to re-shape each fruit to my liking. Finally, I was able to use the layered pattern skills I’d learned through Skillshare to find a pleasing arrangement of the fruit on top of the Berried Alive Houndstooth pattern, using a half drop repeat so it’s not so easy to tell exactly where the pattern repeats.

A few months went by and I loved my Still Life pattern collection so much that I designed a clothing collection as well, using all of the prints I had created. Then I made another pattern and clothing collection based on another pastel painting I’d made, and then another. My second two collections weren’t related to fruit in any way, and that felt freeing. It also felt freeing to design clothing for women, as I’ve been designing unisex streetwear for the past several years and this felt like returning to my roots. When I was younger, I made hundreds of fashion sketches, always womenswear, so it feels like returning to what I know best.

Eventually I found myself talking about how my dream was to start my own brand. I’d call it House of Caswell to honor all of the esteemed fashion houses that have come before. I didn’t want to call it Kaylie Caswell, because I really am hoping to have menswear and children’s lines someday, and I am not sure a man would wear clothing with Kaylie Caswell on the label. I decided not to wait on my dream; now that I had identified it I didn’t want to wait any longer to make it a reality. I decided to launch House of Caswell this year, and my first collection would be the first one I created, Still Life, because it’s the bridge between where I’ve been and where I want to go next. It still has fruit, but it doesn’t necessarily have to.

In the end, I decided to modify the Layered Fruit pattern to include another motif from the collection as the background layer rather than the original Berried Alive Houndstooth print. I think it might send mixed messages to include the Berried Alive logo in House of Caswell designs, unless we do an official collab sometime (which would be really cool!). I’m still involved with both brands, but I don’t want there to be any confusion that House of Caswell is a separate entity.

The Layered Fruit pattern will be used on a pair of luxurious silk pajamas that will be equally as gorgeous out in the world as they are relaxing at home.