Bold moves

Ingrid Anderson's textile designs are about celebrating the home with colour and personality. When she first started screen-printing on everyday household items - from teatowels to oven gloves - it was, she says, "to make them look stylish. I couldn't afford the more expensive ones in shops so I designed them myself".

Indeed, Ingrid's Kaipara Flats home is full of personality. From the pohutukawa curtains in the sunroom, to the vibrant purple and mustard squares of an ironing board cover in the laundry; from a cute patterned peg bag hanging among the raincoats on the back porch, to the bold prints flapping on the washing line - her unique and individual fabrics stand out.

For Ingrid it all began with a screen printing course more than 20 years ago at the-then Auckland Technical Institute. With her fingers in the paint pots and pasting paper cut-outs on to silk screens, Ingrid felt this was far more her calling than the BA she was doing at the time. She pursued this new passion at The Quarry in Whangarei where an inspiring tutor encouraged her to put ink to fabric.

She pulls a joyful length of sky blue cotton splattered with bright coloured figures out of a drawer. Turning this into shorts for all her friends' children resulted in the launch of her first label "Poppet Wear".

In those days, she used the sun to expose her screens which were painted with light-sensitive emulsion.

"It was cheap. In strong sunlight it worked fine but if it turned cloudy I'd have to start all over again," she laughs, almost embarrassed at her naive first steps.

"It wasn't easy to work and bring up a family under the same roof. You have to be very disciplined. And I had to write "DON'T EAT" on the photographic emulsion kept in the fridge - in case my boys got into it."

Too fiddly, "Poppet Wear" evolved into "Polly": bright, stylised oranges and lemons printed on to 100 per cent cotton or linen, cut and sewn up as tea towels, oven gloves, tea cosies, peg bags ... She sold these at markets, gift fairs and kitchen shops.

At this point it may be useful to know Ingrid was born into a Mangaweka family that cares a lot about our indigenous uniqueness. So it was not surprising she soon turned to her roots for inspiration.

Ingrid at work in her studio in rural Kaipara Flats. Her work incorporates indigenous subjects and now her textiles sell on design alone.

Graphic and vibrant pohutukawa and kowhai flower bloomed. With more cutting and pasting - and the occasional hand-drawing - stylised native ferns, karaka and pukeko appeared. Her abstract designs grew bigger and bolder, taking on a distinct, modernist almost Scandinavian flavour.

It all looks effortless, with metres of festive design drying in every available space of her studio which is surrounded by rolling farmland. But Ingrid assures me it takes countless hours of messy experimentation to whittle designs down to their essential form.

Her small business took a sharp turn about six years ago when she had to seek the help of a South Auckland company who printed her design by the metre to supply a huge order. "It was so satisfying to see people buying my designs to sew their own curtains and cushions. I realised it wasn't just because it was hand-printed, I was selling on my design alone."

Ingrid Anderson Textile Design was born. Ingrid's brother Craig Anderson and sister-in-law, Hannah Scott, came on board with capital and marketing expertise to help the business grow.

Concerned about quality and sustainability, Ingrid uses local cutters and sewers to make her products and has someone to help with the screen layouts using computer technology - which means she gains time for the creative hands-on part of her work she prefers. "You have to know where your strengths lie to use time effectively."

She strongly defends New Zealand made. "Wages are my biggest cost but morally it's important to work with artisans here rather than use China's cheap labour. It's in my interest to help keep them in business." She believes that New Zealanders should be more selective about what they buy if they're to preserve their uniqueness.

"There's something ambiguous about NZ identity. We love our pukeko but we're allowed to shoot them. We're proud of our merino but we have no qualms about letting an umpteenth superstore selling made-in-China replace a struggling, quality driven woollen mill."

As her business expands with orders from abroad, and the possibility of branching out into upholstery fabric, Ingrid is aware she is on the bridge between two worlds and must carefully consider her moves to protect her values. Though expansion looms, direct contact with local clients is something she still treasures.

"I love the Grey Lynn Festival. It's rewarding to touch base with the people who enjoy your product and come back year after year. I also see how my designs have weathered."

In 2008, Ingrid teamed up with interior designer Judy Tindill to participate in the local Hospice Wearable Arts Competition. Their striking "Mondrian" dress, made of printed linen teatowels took a Merit Award. The next year, their tribute to Coco Chanel, a stunning merino wool coat and dress with karaka print design also won a Merit Award.

Although Ingrid foresees a future in marketing just her design, she loved the collaborative aspect of the two fashion projects and seeing her art walking down streets is something she can envisage.

The world is looking like her oyster.

* Ingrid Anderson Textile Design, ph (09) 422 4000 or see iatextiledesign.co.nz.