Connecting Species and Spaces: Cassidy Demkov’s Textile Designs

Cassidy Demkov curates designs featuring detailed portrayals of the flora and fauna that live among us. “I feel that my art communicates an appreciation for color and nature by taking everyday things like a flower or the animals in my garden and transforming them into a design or a pattern,” she says. In this way, her designs elevate mundane objects by transmuting natural phenomena into patterns and designs featured in products such as fabric used for clothing, stationery and even matching hair and dog accessories.

“I feel that my art communicates an appreciation for color and nature by taking everyday things like a flower or the animals in my garden and transforming them into a design or a pattern.”

Growing up, Demkov’s family helped nurture her passion for the outdoors, botanicals and art. “My family and my grandma particularly encouraged my love of drawing from the time I could pick up a crayon,” she says. From her grandma’s vibrant garden to her floral and botanical decor, Demkov found herself surrounded by what would largely become the bedrock of her artwork and inspiration. “I almost always instantly start thinking of how I will use a particular color scheme or flowers from a garden in a design,” she says. Along with botanicals and animals, Demkov draws inspiration from the architecture of historical landmarks and the embodiment of color schemes in landscapes. These inspirations manifest in her work for Son De Flor (linen dresses) or The Foggy Dog (dog bandanas).

Textile design constitutes a ubiquitous, inconspicuous artform. “Anytime you go anywhere or buy something, [it] was designed in one way or another,” she says. However, textile design may be less consciously noticed than other artforms. One reason for this is that mass-produced textiles and quickly made patterns overwhelm various industries. “Unfortunately, this has lowered the appreciation for quality, hand-painted or drawn work because some companies want the lowest price over the best work,” she says. “I love that by being an artist and designer I am able to create designs or patterns that add something unique to a product.”

“Anytime you go anywhere or buy something, [it] was designed in one way or another.”

To develop a high level of detail, Demkov fluctuates between sketching, painting, conducting research, assembling color schemes and refining details. Usually, she begins by sketching out the intricacies of the pattern. Demkov then refines the sketch’s details to create a pattern swatch. “After I have the main part of the swatch designed, I will paint or draw the elements of the pattern so that I can scan and edit them,” she says. She then prints the design out and polishes the details to complete the pattern. “Having the opportunity to bring to life a design that I was inspired to create and then to see it printed onto fabric or a product is very rewarding,” she says.

Parallel to her design process, Demkov’s professional journey is dynamic. Demkov worked within the interior design industry for ten years, and her experience in a design showroom motivated her to design her own textiles and return to school to study graphic design. Demkov continued to expand her pattern design knowledge and professional experience as a paper and product designer. “Once I felt I had reached my full potential at that position, I decided it was time to pursue my long-time passion of textile design, which is what led me to where I am now,” she says.

Demkov’s works blend the spaces in-between nature and the indoors, humans and animals by offering products that integrate “flora and fauna” into our everyday lives. Demkov’s elegant textile designs demonstrate our interconnections to other beings and nature in the face of the burgeoning, industrial machine. To experience this yourself and gain more information about her products and their availability, visit cassidydemkov.com and check our her Instagram @cassidydemkov.