Design Union for British Textile Week
08/09/2020
Design Union is an innovative print studio based in London. Since 1993 the company has been creating a constantly evolving portfolio of beautiful and unique printed textiles for fashion and interiors and collaborating with designers throughout the world.
World-renowned and with a reputation for creative, inspiring and concept-driven artwork, Creative Director Eileen Gleeson, assisted by her excellent team of talented designers, produce exciting textile designs that sell to brands and mills, from high-street to catwalk.
In this short film produced by Premiere Vision, Eileen Gleeson takes us inside her garden studio and talks us through the process of design and their multi-seasonal approach to fabric design.
About Eileen
Eileen graduated in 1988 from Brighton Polytechnic, tutored by John Miles, with a Bachelors Hons. in Textiles & Fashion. She gained invaluable experience working with the textile mills and studios of France and London, before being invited by London Portfolio to work in New York, where she soon became Creative Director. Following that, working for a short period as a print buyer for a NY brand, she realised her passion was driven by making original artwork, and so set up her own textile studio, Design Union, in 1993.
The Design Union collection became known for pushing boundaries in print and mixed media. Reputation grew, and Eileen was commissioned to make one-off show pieces for designers such as Donna Karen and Calvin Klein Collections, leading to other New York designers following suit. European success was soon to follow when Design Union started to exhibit at prestigious textile fair, Premiere Vision in Paris.
Moving back to the UK in the late 90’s the momentum continued and she began to collaborate with other designers, foster new graduates and sell designs worldwide for both fashion and interiors.
Eileen is still very engaged with the wider textile industry and often gives lectures, mentors new designers and fashion graduates, and is involved with assessing students for industry awards. Design Union also contributes to annual print forecasts for View Magazine, providing insight, inspiration and direction to designers and brands with new, beautiful and exciting concepts.
For more information about Design Union:
Design Union Trend Forecast SS20
Design Union Eileen Gleeson Bio
UKFT’s British Textile Week is a digital showcase of the craftsmanship, imagination and innovation of the UK textile industry.