We go behind the scenes with surface designer, Angela Hooker. A Parisian by birth, Angela now calls Brussels home. She’s the newest addition to the Pattern People team bringing her unique take on prints to life through various digital mediums.

How did you enter the surface design world?

I was born in Paris in the 14eme arrondissement near Cirque du Soleil. I started working during my school holidays in 1999 for Malhia Kent, creator of the Chanel tweed.

Then, at 17, I studied at Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design in London where I received a BA Honours in fashion print. After graduating in 2006, I started freelancing, working for catwalk label, Felder Felder, and designing textiles for high street clients like Nike, Topshop, Primark, amongst others. Since 2015 I have been based in Bruxelles, Belgium designing textiles in collaboration with the Mauritius based designer, Sarah Seneque. I am planning on launching a unisex  fashion label, Original Vêtement, in a year or two.

What are your favorite types of prints to design?

My favorite type of print designs have to be African textiles. They are the most inspiring textiles in the world to my eye, with animal prints being the most fun to design. I can never be bored designing yet another leopard or snake print.

Do you have a particular tool that you’re partial to when designing (besides a computer)?

I could not work without my tablet which is like an extension of my hand, as well as my iPhone to capture ideas around me. I have a purely digital approach to textile design currently.

Can you share a few design tricks with us?

Record all your ideas on your phone. It’s a useful tool that follows you everywhere, plus it’s a good way to have a handy library at all times. Pinterest is also helpful to store your concepts, as well as Instagram, which allows you to create private personal inspiration files.

African print inspiration by Vlisco

What are three sources of inspiration you turn to at the moment?

At the moment my main sources of inspiration are:

Marolles Flea market in my area in Bruxelles. I go once a week and it’s full of inspiration from around the world.

African textiles are my main passion at the moment. They are so rich and full of dynamic details and patterns to get inspired from.

Street fashion. It’s fun to observe what everyday people actually like wearing.

Thank you so much for sharing, Angela! To see more of Angela’s work, visit here.