cotton on body – The Interiors Addict

Cotton On Body collaborate with Morgan Connoley on art prints

In a first for Cotton On Body, the affordable, on-trend fashion brand has collaborated with Victorian artist Morgan Connoley of Colour & Skulls, in the creation of three custom prints.

Z_IcucnsKhluzrq9SO0vAM3LAFBQ82n0Dpt3is-WppM — Morgan Connoley

With the aim to make art accessible to all, prints will be $19.95 and fit in with Cotton On Body’s upcoming Christmas collection, which is a new take on the tropical print. Think pineapples, palms, botanical prints and cacti.

As a successful illustrator and graphic designer, Cotton On Body saw Morgan as the ideal collaborator. With work that is a whimsical mix of the inky, beautiful and macabre, Morgan successfully combines colour, femininity and nature into her art. Approached earlier this year regarding the partnership, it was an idea Morgan naturally jumped at and looking at the end result, she couldn’t be more excited!

“The prints for Cotton On Body are the perfect combination of Colour & Skulls and summertime,” says Morgan. “The prints represent the heart and soul of Colour & Skulls and epitomise the energy and spirit of the Cotton On Body girl. They are on trend and affordable, which widens my audience to a new demographic.”

Calling the opportunity, “a pinch myself moment,” Morgan sees the experience as one of her biggest milestones to date. Yet she has already had a very impressive career, working as a graphic designer by day and under her art alias, Colour & Skulls, by night. She is also the co-founder of the Geelong Illustrators Collective and a board member at Courthouse Youth ARTS Geelong, being very passionate about exposing and working with emerging talent within her local region.

Morgan’s prints will sit alongside Cotton On Body’s varied selection of Christmas gifting solutions and will be available in stores nationally from 17 November 2014.

Tassel + Gaine cushions combine Melbourne duo’s design talents

As individuals they both have very impressive resumes: Laine Fraser as head of design at Typo and Fleur Harris as the print designer behind the Lara Bingle for Cotton on Body swimwear range. But their newest venture, Tassel + Gaine, has seen the friends join forces to shows a completely new side to them.

Laine and Fleur. Photo credit: Nikole Ramsay

Their fine art cushion brand was launched last year. “We’re all about providing affordable, easy products that people can buy and use instantly to style their homes in their own unique way,” says Laine. “Many interior pieces are a big financial investment — furniture, artwork etc — so we want to provide a range of products that make it easy to refresh your space. Cushions are the perfect solution to changing the look and feel of a room easily and affordably.”

Tassel&Gaine-39 — Photo credit: Nikole Ramsay. Stylist: Emma O’Meara

Designing all the cushions themselves, the process is entirely collaborative, with the duo constantly bouncing ideas back and forth. “We work together, and then individually and we keep coming back together to continue refining our designs until we’re both 100 percent happy with the end result,” explains Laine. “We’re both very critical of our own work first and foremost, and we balance each other out well by giving each other constant feedback. We are both on a mission to create the best art we possibly can for T+G, and we don’t stop refining our work until we get there.”

Having a combined total of almost 20 years in the design industry, the Melbourne creatives have worked as textile designers, graphic designers and illustrators. As a result of their diverse backgrounds, they use a variety of techniques to create the art for the cushions; anything from designing on their Macs to throwing paint on a giant canvas in the back yard!

Tassel&Gaine-42 — Photo credit: Nikole Ramsay. Stylist: Emma O’Meara

Laine and Fleur are currently in the process of creating their second collection, an evolution and extension of their debut range, which Laine describes as having: “Lots of colour, fun artworks and good vibes all around!”

Set to be released in August, in the meantime you can purchase any of the looks from the first collection here.