Co.Design | business + design: Where do patterns come from? While some might be computer-generated using the latest in image scanning and digital printing technologies, many more can be sourced to the Design Library—the world's largest collection of patterns.
8 comments:
When Peter Koepke purchased this business he struck GOLD. I am so glad to know that this organization exists, and so close to New York City. (It's interesting that many large companies function just outside of the city, but still attract such large groups.)
This business, not only surprises me in that fact that it is a business, but in that so many high fashion designers use the archives to create new lines of their own. This is truly an example of just how cyclical fashion is in it's history. I wonder if they have internships or apprentice ships. I'm sure it's incredible to be a designer and use all of the millions of resources provided, but also how cool would it be to work there!?! SO much information at the ready, all the time. It'd be like living in fashion history from 9-5.
I am surprised that this is an american based business. More often than not, it is us americans copying the europeans on fashion trends, and now finally the tables are turned. We hold the rights to all of this history and these resources. It must be a big deal when designers from overseas make the trek to upstate New York to do some research. I also wonder how they separate what can be sold versus what can only be rented or borrowed. I look forward to exploring more.
I personally love the idea of being able to check out patterns the same way that I can check out a book. As a huge fan of prints and patterns of all sorts, I can see this resource being incredibly valuable to me as both a designer and as a collector and appreciator of woven/printed patters. Instead of employing a graphic designer to do research and mock-ups, I as an independent designer, could "check out" (buy permanently or rent rights for a few years) a historical pattern, and achieve the look I'm going for for less time and money.
In addition to the sheer fact of this library's existence, this collection is more than an online database full of templates or renderings. Instead, the library is an actual, physical place, with books of cloth samples designers are free to peruse, running fingers through the richly-colored samples, so that even the most tactile designers can gain a good sense of the way a pattern may present or wear.
Now that I know of this wonderful place, I feel like I'll have to make a pilgrimage to upstate New York at some point, and peruse this glorious collection for myself.
What a fantastic resource. As a designer it is so true that pattern will always be essential to our everyday lives. i can see this tool being used in so many different ways. from a costuming or scenic design prospective i can see this being used to historically represent the walls or clothes of a certain era. or perhaps drawing your own inspiration and changing it as mentioned in the article. i am curious though that when purchasing a pattern if it is for the actual sample they have or the rights. because it would seem that public domain should rule over the rights of patterns that are quite old. Also im assuming the library has digital copy of the patterns because loosing that to someone buying the rights seems unfair. i believe that all of these patterns should be in the public domain because it is our history for every one to benefit from.
This is so fascinating. I didn't even know some place like this existed and to know that it's right in my home state is thrilling! I wonder if this place just lets *anybody* in through their doors to browse patterns considering the fact that the article mentioned that they only allow around 10,000 designers a year to buy or rent patterns. Perhaps you have to "be someone" to go around to purchase, but regardless I think just as a resource to have, this is magnificent. There is so much culture and history embedded in patterns and like the article said, "The appetite for pattern is continuous." I think that there is something innate in the human brain that attracts it to patterns-- seeing a repeated image makes us desire it more. The reuse of such patterns is also interesting because I feel like that's also how trends end up repeating themselves. I would really love to visit this museum some day because I feel like these patterns are preserved with the reverence of a "real painting" and they really would provide such real depth.
There is something almost mythical or legendary about the Design Library, like the type of fantasy land one would read about in books or dream up when lost in research. "What if there was one place where all patterns went to live forever?" The immortality the collection gives to such a distinct subset of fashion and clothing history imbues it with a sense of all-powerful wisdom which students like us can only hope to one day enjoy a portion of. I find it overwhelming to try to imagine the sheer scope of a such a collection; therefore, I can't even begin to imagine how I would manage to fathom its vastness in person. Still, I hope that I will one day be given the chance to find out, as the Design Library, for all its mysticism, also appears to be the end-all, be-all resource for research, design, and use of patterns and textiles. More than the book mentioned, I would love to see a fictitious work inspired by the "legend of the Design Library," or something along those lines which celebrates the remarkable inconceivability of such a space. I can't wait till the day I can experience this legend for myself.
I cannot get over the fact that this exists! I love going to home depot just to look at all of the paint sample colors on display. This is 10 million times better. I love organizing things, so I just find there system so fascinating. What do they do with patterns that just seem to break the mold? Are all the patterns in rectangular samples, or do they change shape? What is the lighting like in the building, to see the patterns but also to protect the colors from fading? I was a little confused when they were discussing some of the older, irreplaceable patterns, for which a designer could get the rights for a couple years, but couldn’t buy it. Does that mean when a designer is buying the rights, they are taking the physical pattern? Or are they just trying to ensure that the pattern will continue to be used?
I can't believe this is a thing that is real. I had no idea that big names like target just check out these library books to decide what fashion is going to look like for the year. This reminds me of the pantone color of the year. It's one company with an essential monopoly on what is going to catch society's eye for the upcoming season. It's also so odd that any pattern "invented" by a designer may already be in existence and categorized in this warehouse. It's like knowing that every color that ever exists or will exist is already visible and has been here the whole time; you can't invent a new color because it's already a thing. This library also captures history in a way that's similar to art. Art to me though is more individualistic and each piece is replicating hundreds of times on bags, shirts, couches, etc. for society to consume as a unit. I wonder if any of the designs I "created" already exist in this enigmatic library.
It is interesting that this space is crafted for both the simultaneous and juxtapositional goals of preservation and maintaining a useful library of designs. Though the classifications of patterns (see: "Jazzy) are - as one might expect - very subjective, this space seems to offer those who utilize it a great deal in terms of material. It also sounds as though this institution serves a more than just a gateway to the past, as modern companies with great clout utilize its resources, also turning it into some kind of pathway to the future. It is interesting to see how design - especially with regards to fashion and modern fashion design - is a cyclical thing, with the present relying on the past, and repurposing it for future and new use. This Design Library is clearly a very well regulated and maintained space, offering inspiration and insight to many, and hopefully to many generations to come.
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