Today we’d like to introduce you to Saira Mary Netto
Saira Mary, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My interest in textiles started at home in Kerala, India. I was very lucky to be surrounded by family and friends that loved to dress up and there was a lot of joy surrounding the process. Growing up in Kerala, I had access to see and experience wonderful artisans that have mastered their crafts in weaving and dyeing fabrics. There were also many stores filled with amazing fabrics to choose from and this truly set the tone for my love of textiles.
Once I graduated from school, I went on to pursue fibers at Savannah College of Art and Design. I was able to really delve into my passion here, learning different techniques such as felting, screen printing and surface design. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at college and the fibers community was and still is very well knit and have provided me with much support any time I have needed it.
Towards my senior year, I narrowed down my true focus to be print and pattern. I fell in love with the same and pursued my career in this with a design apprenticeship with Kate Spade in New York. I learnt a lot about the ins and outs of working in a company there and it was a great stepping stone into the industry. I then continued my work with a company called Liora Manne which introduced me to the industry of textiles for interiors.
And I now go forward with my exploration of print and pattern as a freelancer and will also be embarking on furthering my education with a masters in textiles soon.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The journey up until now has been filled with wonderful experiences but also with challenges!
One of my biggest ones was leaving my friends and family behind to go to a different country and study there.
However, this challenge has allowed me to learn so much about myself and further my horizons. Meeting new people, exploring my career and finding out what I love to do have been tremendous fruits of this struggle.
The onslaught of COVID also proved to be a massive hurdle for everybody. As fibers students, we were unable to access our classrooms and the equipment in our study buildings. But we were able to work through this with mini portable looms being sent to our locations and finding alternate ways to complete all our assignments during this time. The fibers professors and my fellow classmates handled this change impressively and I think we all definitely learnt from that experience.
There have been other various struggles that I have had to come out of and take in my stride. However, I am lucky in the fact that I have a supportive family and community to lean back on. Each one of these have been a learning curve which may have have seemed terrible at the time but have left me richer in experience.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As a textile designer, my prime focus is on designing print and pattern for a variety of surfaces. The possibilities within the textile industry are amazing as you can go into a range of industries, from furnishings to fashion or even experimenting with new material compositions.
I specialize in surface design for clothing, accessories and interiors. My personal style leans towards using vibrant colors and creating detailed illustrations with watercolor. Although the subject matter of my prints differ for each project, in my personal work I lean towards creating motifs based on flora and fauna.
Textiles usually include very tactile processes which I enjoy a lot as working with my hands help me to connect with what I design. Thus, making the whole process feel much more personal. My love for this process from start to finish helps me to enjoy each step of every project thus creating an end result that I am proud of.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
An open mind is something that I feel is very important to success. When new opportunities come by that might not feel relevant to what I am doing, I still try to say yes to these. In my experience, these have many a time come back to help me with my career when I have least expected it.
Moreover, I feel that saying yes to all these opportunities or at least trying, also opens up chances and doors that you may not have considered earlier. It could be a workshop or networking event that would help you meet someone that might change the trajectory of your career. Forming connections at these events is also great as these are very helpful later on.
Having an open mind has truly helped me quite a bit in my career as it has helped significantly with my personal growth and my mindset as a designer.
Contact Info:
