Children’s Apparel Print and Pattern Collection

Jan 26

Meet The Safari Squad

There can be different approaches when creating a print and pattern collection. One can start with a specific theme in mind (for example, spring florals) or with a specific product in mind (for example, children’s apparel). For my Safari Squad collection, I decided to follow the latter. I have to say that it made me think about this new collection in a more strategic way. From the very start, I knew which mockups I would use for each pattern, all related to kids clothes. The cool part is that once the characters started taking shape, I could also see them in other worlds, for example as characters in children’s books or in gift wrap and partyware.

But first, how did each character came to be? My husband and I went to South Africa a loooong time ago (about 25 years or so… we are so old!) and had a super fun time in a couple of safari excursions.

*Back in 1999, when my husband and I were practically babies, in Cape Agulhas, the Southern-most tip of Africa*

On that trip, we got to see so many beautiful animals in their natural habitats and even had a close encounter with a very angry elephant who chased us for a bit. It was exhilarating, and I loved the idea of imagining such fierce animals as cuddly little pals for a children’s-oriented print-and-pattern collection.

So I got to work and decided to draw five of the iconic animals from the savanna, and of course, part of the fun was to name them and imagine their personalities. So I present to you: the Safari Squad! You can license them to bring joy and warmth to your next creation!