Well-known for their innovative and mindful design capabilities, St James Whitting are a design duo committed to sustainable design and life cycle assessment in each facet of the various forms and medias in which they create.    

Their love of nature is showcased in the inspiring capsule of print designs within the Sanctuary collection.

Shelley McKinnon is the designer behind the aptly named artwork Reef and took inspiration from the varying types of coral that span the world’s coastlines. With a great love of nature and particularly the beach, the sea and the world underneath, Shelley's collaboration with Hemptech seemed only natural.

You can find Shelley's Reef design within our Designer Upholstery - Tahi collection, a first in a series we intend to create. 

Laura Pearce is a designer, artist and ceramicist based out of the unique Art Deco city that is Napier in the Hawke’s Bay. She studied graphic arts at the Whanganui Quay School of Design and is represented across New Zealand for her one-off ceramic pieces. Laura is inspired by historical fabrics and ceramics. The Elemental collection was taken from Laura’s sketchbook drawings and hand painted in a similar way to her original ceramic pieces.

Always inspired by the playful colours and tones from her floral watercolour studies. Nellie created a utopian floral summer garden based on wild country flowers and summer grasses, evoking memories of her childhood. Whimsical and elegant flowers play against abstract fauna, bringing a lightness and spontaneity to this design.

After many years of experience as a professional textile designer, I must say that the "flax pod design" is still one of my personal favourites. The strong elegant stem, that often towers high above the flax bush, is for me the most compelling part of the flax plant. The "Flax Pod" design lends itself to the gorgeous natural tones and textures of Hemptech's textile range.

Having worked for over ten years creating textiles for film costumes, Sarah relishes the craft and technique of her work.  Be it over a dye pot, print table or on the computer, for Sarah, the world of textiles and storytelling are inextricably linked. The whimsy, symmetry and surprise of nature is what inspires Sarah.  Be it the mangroves rising out of the mud or the flutter of a fantail, this is where the ideas began. From their natural beginnings the ideas are then filtered through her paintbrushes, pens and hand strokes, ensuring they retain an organic quality. Imperfections are embraced as important elements in the perfection and beauty of the whole.

I love working in the field of textile print design because it is design with a tactile dimension. I delight in the printing process - ink hitting fabric - when a design comes to life, creating new and surprising results each time. I enjoy visual rhythm in a design and how pattern and imagery can convey and express personality, ideas and lift spirits. Textiles are for living with - we touch, lie on and surround ourselves with them on a daily basis. I am inspired by nature, by other eras, vintage furniture, fashion and cultures; and aim to create provocative, exuberant designs that enhance a living space with pattern and colour.

Mirjam’s inspiration for the Cows and Couches design came from seeing the Highland and Friesian cows on her lifestyle block. Mirjam noticed that many kiwis are rightly proud of their country but always seem to have a craving to go overseas and explore exotic places. This gave the idea to mix the rural setting, which is the corner stone of New Zealand with the urban need for stylish interiors. The mix up was complete with adding the zebra pattern which stands for 'the exotic' kiwis are always interested in. In a nutshell you're looking at a view of New Zealand, mixing up the urban and the rural aspects.

Karo and Raku were designed by Tanya Wolfkamp a designer based on beautiful Waiheke Island. Natural objects, in all their intricate detail, form the starting point for all her designs whether they are figurative or botanical. "The natural world is so incredibly perfect and inspiring I don't feel the need to change it too much to present beautiful and timeless prints that I would want to live with for decades"

I enjoy the idea of communicating a mood, interpretation or idea in an illustration. Interior textiles differ from art, in that they are both functional and subtle in their message - a visual propaganda that eventually camouflages into the environment. I begin every design with a thousand inspirations; my next step is to find a theme amongst these disparate ideas. Consciously hunting for an idea I have subconsciously developed. I am always researching, before, during and even after a design is developed. I scour blogs, personal photographs, locations in Auckland and libraries. You do not want to design something only to see it somewhere else as sometimes designers can be subconscious thieves.

Jade Culton is a graphic designer originally from the small coastal town of Waihi Beach, now residing in Sydney. Heavily influenced by her surroundings and beach lifestyle her designs explore the natural elements and memories of the New Zealand coast and ocean life. Textiles being a relatively new field of design she enjoys the tactile element and the feeling different colour ways can produce and loves the thought of being able to contribute to a persons home and surroundings.