Ever been interested in the person behind the brand, who built this and how? Hi, I’m Kirath and this is my Surface Pattern Design brand…I’d love for you all to find out a little more about me. As a creative myself I have always been interested in finding out about how brands have built their empires. From a one man/gal operation to larger brands such as Gymshark, founded by Ben Francis. Below is a list of questions which some of you may be interested in hearing about. I’ve uploaded my first IGTV over on instagram where I cover some of these questions. Go check it out if you haven’t already!
igtv
@kirath_ghundoo
1. What was the main driver behind setting up your design studio?
I graduated from Leeds College of Art with a degree in printed textiles and surface pattern design and went on to become a university lecturer. The love of teaching design inspired me to set up my own brand as having my own business was always something I wanted to pursue. In 2011 I completed my MA in Textiles at Huddersfield University and spent the year setting up my brand. I launched my first wallpaper collection at 100% Design in London in 2011 and the response was overwhelming. I've been trading for 9 years now and what a journey it has been. I am inspired by pattern and colour everywhere and my design work allows me to represent my interpretation of the world around me.
2. What do you love most about your work?
I love the creative freedom of my job and how I express myself as a designer without adhering to trends. I like to break the rules of conventional design, which is exactly what my wallpapers do. They allow the user to create a unique feature wall which is dictated by their own preferences.
3. What inspires your work?
I can be inspired pretty much anywhere and especially the most bizarre and flamboyant places. My main inspiration comes from travel which I’ve spent a lot of time doing over the past couple of years. As a creative I can also pick up inspiration from anywhere, a conversation, a book, someone’s street style, fashion and organic patterns created by nature which we don’t automatically see every day, apart from wacky designers, like myself!
4. Describe your work/style in 3 words?
Spontaneous, quirky, bold
5. What are you the most proud of? [Creatively or from a business perspective]
I was nominated for an Elle Decoration British Design Award amongst others which was pretty special. I also love seeing the positive impact my work has on my clients from wallpaper to surface design projects. It’s a proud feeling changing a client’s space with my patterns and creating new collections for collaborations.
6. Do you think the brands aesthetic has changed since the starting your business and in what way?
I’ve always had a certain geometric style which identifies my work within the market. My aesthetic has always stayed the same, however I have responded with creating collections that have a wider commercial value. My aim is to design ranges that suit a varied audience who love geometric styles. Perhaps a certain client isn’t as bold, however wants a wallpaper that’s different but a subtle in taste, I feel my ranges cater for this.
7. Who is your customer?
My customers range from interior designers, interior architects, property developers, homeowners/renters, business owners within retail, hospitality and office spaces. My client is cool, design savvy and unique in their thinking towards interior spaces, (perhaps they want to break the rules too!)
8. What traits do you need to set up a brand?
Apart from the obvious such as being organised and proactive, I think one of the biggest traits is patience. Rome wasn’t built in a day, it takes time to set up especially when you want to make sure everything is done to 110%. You need to be motivated, when working for yourself it’s easy to let things slide, develop a routine and stick to it. Work on digital skills, they are so important when building your website, controlling your social channels and building marketing material. They are especially important for my work as it is all created via Illustrator, Photoshop and Indesign. Good photography skills are helpful in creating press friendly content and slick visuals for your website and social channels.
9. Do you have a favourite collection or pattern that you have created and why?
Yes, I love the Verde wallpaper. Firstly I love Colombia and this pattern is inspired by my travels to to leafy country. I love the mismatch vibe with the wallpaper, so much so I have it up in my living room. There are so many botanical wallpapers on the market, I feel the Verde pattern is a real contemporary twist on a ‘nature’ inspired paper. With its halftone dot, mixed with bold geometrics, what’s not to love!
I want to get this one up in a restaurant…
10. Are you working on any future collections at the moment?
I’ve just launched my newest wallpaper collection….
The KG Black & Beige 20 collection introduces three new patterns Ritzy, Mod and Dandy. Inspired by monogram pattern styles, each design is available in two colourways, beige and black and white. The collection is designed to inspire the chicest interior walls across residential and commercial spaces.
With my huge love for fashion, from street style to high end, I wanted to design a range of patterns to reflect the monogram style, evident across fashion. Interiors and fashion are so interlinked and the industries often inform each other. Even though I’m a huge fan of colour from bolds to pastels and I wanted to design a range that used muted tones. I love the interior trends for black, grey and beige spaces. The wallpapers within this collection have been designed to compliment those styles of interiors. This collection adds a diverse variation across my range of wallpapers. There is a design to suit a variety of interior spaces from a commercial office, to a luxe living room, or stylish children’s playroom”.
11. What types of projects have you been involved in?
When I look back at some of the projects I’ve worked, it’s amazing to see the variety. When I was studying my masters I created a vision board of the types of projects I wanted to complete and goals I had in mind. From office, retail, residential, apartments, salon’s, and dentist spaces I have been blessed to wallpaper some cool spaces. As a surface designer I’ve worked on pattern projects from lifestyle accessories, splachbacks, tiles, lighting, bedding, fashion and stationary and hopefully many more to come!