Textile Designers: 10 Women to Watch

Over the last few years, there have been some obvious standouts in the world of contemporary textile design. People like Amy Butler, Lotta Jansdotter, and Natalie Chanin have garnered well-deserved attention for their fresh signature styles, while paving the way for other talented women to make an impact in the industry. Here are ten whose work merits a closer look.

Erin Flett: Erin lives and works in Maine, where she has a family and two young daughters. Her pillows have a hand-drawn, slightly imperfect appearance, as they're handmade from vintage reproduction bark cloth printed with water-based inks.
Kerry Cassill: From her headquarters in Laguna Beach, California, Kerry Cassill creates cotton fabric collections (for body and home) inspired by traditional Indian block prints and the vibrant colors of impressionist painters. She describes her aesthetic as a "coastal, resorty vibe."
Katy Chan and Hilary Dennis of Schoolyard Studio: Based out of Toronto, Schoolyard Studio sells a mix of kitchen textiles, wearable stuff, and stationery. Everything is screen-printed with water-based inks on organic cotton and/or hemp and sewn in Toronto.
Amanda Haupt and Lise Butler of DT Designs: This South African team oversees the production of hand-printed textiles at their studio in Pretoria. Their prints are "contemporary, topical designs" in natural but highly saturated colors.
Jeanine Hays of AphroChic: This past fall/winter, blogger Jeanine Hays launched a new collection of pillows, wallpaper, table linens, and organic shower curtains called Brooklyn Renaissance. She describes it as "a celebration of the creativity and artistic spirit in the Brooklyn community."
Lindsay Alker: This UK designer creates hand-silkcreened and linoblocked prints on Irish linen. Her subtle, richly patterned pillows — which reference traditional European fabrics — are available through Liberty of London and John Derian in New York.
Christina Weber of Studiopatro: Based out of San Francisco, Weber makes hand-printed tea towels that reflect her "fascination with leaves, pattern, words and color." These humble kitchen cloths have been attended to as if they were canvases — palettes are balanced and cohesive.
Yumiko Sekine of Fog Linen Work: Sekine got her start importing antiques, then gradually began making her own line of linens to sell. She's truly a global entreprenuer — she works with linen producers in Lithuania, has a store in Tokyo, and sells to retailers internationally.
'Coco' of Cococozy: COCOCOZY is a Los Angeles-based design blog written by a woman nicknamed 'Coco.' She recently launched a collection of textiles under the same name, translating her colorful graphic aesthetic into a line of pillows, throws, drapery and fabric.
Raegan Moya-Jones of Aden and Anais: Aussie-American Raegan Moya-Jones makes classic muslin cloths — the kind her mom used for her blankets when she was a baby. A coarsely woven plain cotton, muslin "breathes" really well, which makes it ideal for swaddling infants.