Three textile-passionate pros to know

Tex

Savvy

THREE INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS COMMUNICATE THEIR PASSION FOR TEXTILES THROUGH PRINT, PHOTOGRAPHY AND CUSTOMER SERVICE

Saana Baker

Fabric design consultant/editor of The Textile Eye

When Saana Baker took an aptitude test in high school, she was told she’d make an excellent mortician. She recalls thinking “how depressing” and believes she was pegged as such because she looked a bit goth plus she said she liked to work with her hands.

Fast forward to a typical day at school that would set her trajectory. She was doodling — working with her hands — when a fellow student peed at her scrawl and remarked, “That’d look great on a t-shirt.” Right then, Baker had an epiphany. “In that moment I realized someone is responsible for all the patterns in the world.” Baker studied textile design at FIT. Figuring to pursue the more fashion-oriented print design side, she instead discovered a love for wovens. Her first job was in the design department of a mill that specialized in upholstery fabrics. Her second was for Schumacher. When she moved back to California — Baker is from Berkeley — she started working with Barbara Barry on her collection of textiles. That relationship lasted ten years.

Today Baker lives in San Francico. She is a fabric consultant, ghost designing collections for other designers like Jiun Ho whose sixth collection she is presently working on. Baker is also the creative force behind The Textile Eye, a quarterly trend report launched in 2019 that she calls her love letter to the fabric industry.

Opposite: Saana Baker at a mill. Above: The Textile Eye is an 8”x8” 175- 200-page trend report. Right: Anderson Sommerselle on location visiting a maker; SOMMERSELLE is launching a pillow program, those shown are from Caroline Cecil Textiles.

The idea to create this publication came after reporting on Maison&Object for a client. Being at the show, seeing the breadth of product and the integrity and innovation behind it, lit her up and she wanted to share that excitement. Knowing what it is like to be stuck designing behind a computer, she wanted to capture the energy of the shows and make her timely discoveries accessible to others who need to see and know things too.

Available in print and digital, Baker’s most ardent readers are textile designers and interior designers who consider themselves fabric people. Other subscribers include big fabric houses, mills, wallpaper and bedding companies and reps who want to know the big picture. Each issue contains thoughtfully laid out product shots, organized into themes and color trends, and includes coverage of a relatable exhibition, followed by a sourcebook for all brands featured. “It’s one page of rich stuff after another,” Baker says.

Grounded since last March, Baker’s approach to gathering imagery and stories has changed, relying on P.R. people and others to send photography, but her intention and depth of content has not. “You can’t replicate seeing and feeling things in person,” she says hoping to travel to Milan and Como for Salone and Proposte in September. The latter show, she says, is the most important one from a design consulting point of view.

Anderson Sommerselle

Owner, SOMMERSELLE

After seven years spent working in two of the most reputable showrooms Holland & Sherry and John Rosselli, in areas of customer service, purchasing and textile management, Anderson Sommerselle felt it was time to reset and reinvent the traditional showroom model, — he was going to make designers’ lives easier. On New Year’s Eve 2020, he launched SOMERSELLE, a multiline showroom with fabric and wallpaper, furniture, lighting and art. The SOMERSELLE shopping experience provides access to brands, pricing, stock and samples 24/7 and allows purchasing online. “Booking appointments doesn't work,” he says. “You’ve got to meet designers where they are and when they can.”

With the goal of eliminating friction, Somerselle makes it a point to answer designer emails and queries before they start their day. He offers to shop for them and to messenger samples. With a warehouse conveniently located by the D&D building, he wants to be at their fingertips at the moment they need solutions. “Designers need to shine bright in front of their clients and I feel that’s my responsibility to help them look their best.”

Somerselle stays close to the brand partners he represents too, many of whom are artists turned makers or newer entrepreneurs not yet well-versed in best industry practices. Under Somerselle’s eye, they learn to tell their story, button-up their brand, and get social media coaching as necessary. Instagram is where Somerselle has been gaining traction most.

It’s like he’s building a family. Scot Meacham Wood’s line of textiles is repped by Somerselle. “Anderson and his team have

found an exciting new point of access for designers and the brands they need for their clients,” says Scot. “SOMERSELLE is forging an exciting path — and I’m delighted to be part of its success!”

Somerselle confides that being the CEO of a small business has been an interesting ride, pandemic and all, and says he underestimated the amount of hats he wears — not the quantity, he clarifies, but that he must wear them at the same time. Thinking about his weekly responsibilities, he wears the creative hat, marketing hat, sales, customer service and the boss hat. “I underestimated the constant of it all,” he says, “but at the end of the day, at least you realize that the hard work is for you.”

For now, Somerselle works from his home office in Manhattan and expects to open a physical location by Spring 2022. He wants COVID to really be in the rearview mirror. One of the first things he is planning when human interaction normalizes is to invite the runners of the design firms out for something fun. He says they are the backbone of firms and really the decision makers because what they pick is presented,” he says.

Far from his Virgin Island roots and from his former dream of becoming a Food Network chef, Somerselle has created his own unique recipe for success, is getting recognized for it, and is grateful.

Rachel Kern

Stylist, Clarence House & Vervain

For every covetous fabric ad in a magazine, there are people that make it happen. Rachel Kern, a stylist for Fabricut brands Clarence House and Vervain, is one of them. Her job is to plan the visuals and photography direction for photo shoots, working closely with the product development team to figure out the best way to fabricate a textile’s story. She also installs the Clarence House window display at the D&D in New York.

In fact, Kern was a visual merchandiser prior to joining Fabricut four years ago. She worked at Tulsa’s oldest department store, Miss Jackson’s, first in sales and then in visual, eventually becoming the visual director. She worked there for ten years until the 105-year old store shut down.

“I’m grateful for the period of growth and experimentation,” she says. “I was able to do just about anything I could dream up as long as I didn’t spend too much money, so I was always trying to find ways to make something from unexpected materials, find bargains, etc.”

Not too long after, Kern saw a job posting for an interior designer wanted at Fabricut, and she applied despite not technically being one. She says most of her colleagues are formally trained in design and have the technical know-how and she feels her experience is complementary and allows her to think outside the box. “It’s more about communicating the ideas that inspired these collections than about showing designers exactly how to use these fabrics. They can figure that part out on their own. We just want them to be as excited about it as we are.”

Getting inspiration for any new project begins with research, combing the company library and going online, looking at what’s new as well as very old influences. Her creative process also always involves sketching. “The value of hand sketching,” she says, “is that there is this feeling captured in a way that doesn’t translate with a technical drawing, there are no limitations — it’s immediate, more textural.”

Last year saw Kern and others pivot on a lot of plans. Being that this is Clarence House’s 60-year anniversary, there’s a lot of imagery to create. Kern said they had been planning a shoot at Michelle Nussbaumer’s house in Mexico featuring blanket-like fabrics and a donkey but had to find a local donkey instead. About Kern, Danica Jones, director of marketing at Fabricut, says, “The creativity and positivity she has is just next level.”

Kern in her workspace surrounded by inspiration and sketches, including one that preceded the photo featuring Vervain’s Secret Garden.