KM Collaborates with Amelia Graham

Architectural influences, brought to life through print; Karen Millen presents a new collection in collaboration with Amelia Graham.​

Geometric patterns, a distinctive part of Karen Millen's design heritage, are reinterpreted through a contemporary lens. Mixed textures and prints are complemented by minimalist silhouettes, offering a unique selection for everyday and special occasions.

What is your favourite piece from the collection?

It’s so hard to choose, but I particularly like the burnout dresses (we chose devoréd fabric - where the fabric is printed to create a semi-transparent pattern against more solidly woven fabric).

Coming from a Textile Design background, the fact that the collection incorporates a variety of textile processes (knit, weave, punched leather and devoré) is particularly standout for me, it’s not just a print collection, it’s a tactile textile collection, and the burnout dresses have a subtle refined beauty where the pattern is part of the very cloth itself.

Where did your passion for creation begin?

I was brought up in a creative and making environment. My mum was always making things, mainly out of cloth, and my dad would sketch architectural plans on the settee in the mornings. Learning about art, architecture, design, playing with photography and materials—all of these things were second nature to me, forming part of my early visual language.

At A-Level, I toyed with the idea of studying English, but then I had the realisation that I spent all my spare time in the Art Studio at college, painting and drawing, photographing things, wandering around galleries in my spare time, and thinking of my dad, whose work (he’s an architect) was part of his very nature. He would sit drawing at breakfast, and it was so core to who he was. I made the decision that work shouldn’t be something you clock off from; it should be something you think about all the time, because then it’s not work at all. And that’s how I feel.

How would you describe your art to someone who has never seen it before?

Could you explain your design process?

I sketch less than I used to, maybe it’s a mental process for me now, half the time things arise out of creative play. Some of my most successful prints have come in moments of pure unadulterated play, and often quite quickly. I think you get to a stage in the creative process when things happen in a very intuitive way, or perhaps subconsciously absorbing and processing the world around me into my own visual language.

Mies van der Rohe described design as a process of distillation, and although this is a tenant he applied to architecture, it resonates with me profoundly. If the question is literally how I design - I work in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop!

What advice would you give those who are struggling to be more creative?

Surround yourself with whatever gives you aesthetic pleasure! Feeling the power of the creative force behind it usually drives me to feel more creative. Intention is what moves us deeply. I’m often inspired by Le Corbusier’s thoughts on architecture and art, that the quality of a work of art depends upon the mind that created it. For me, I feel most inspired by paintings and architecture, so walking around the Barbican, or a gallery always ignites that fizz of wanting to create within me!

How would you define your personal style?

I like classic pieces with interesting twists, considered details, such as a cuff or collar detail.