Maker Monday: An aspire Exclusive Interview With Logan Ross

After years of working in to-the-trade textile design and manufacturing, Logan Ross started his brand, Logan Montgomery Textiles in 2018. With a mission of delivering truly luxurious designer fabrics with all the performance of an outdoor fabric company, Logan enlisted his wife to keep the checks and balances in order and his young children as constant performance testers. Based in West Hollywood, Logan lets the hand of the fabric lead the design process. By maintaining a lean and boutique brand, the focus remains on technology and sustainability over overhead costs. Challenging partner mills, the goal is to achieve desired textures and quality while ensuring the cleanability and durability of solution-dyed acrylic fabrics. This approach allows for creating top-notch performance fabrics without compromising design conscience. See these sustainable designs in today’s Maker Monday.

Andrew Joseph: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received as a designer?
Logan Ross: The great Rocky Le Fleur once told me, “Don’t worry, there’s enough business around for everyone to be happy.” We are a small community, and together, we’re better. So, there is no room for cattiness!

AJ: Can you tell us about a specific moment in your career that made you feel accomplished?
LR: Getting an editorial of our “Sabal” fabric in AD was pretty much like winning an Oscar for me. Nothing else says, “Hey, fabric guy, you’re on the right track.”

AJ: How do you incorporate sustainability into your designs?
LR: We now have three fabrics that are 50% recycled acrylic. As the technology improves, we will be able to create many more yarn types out of these recycled fibers. I also think that working on reducing the stigma that recycled materials can’t be luxurious is a significant hurdle in our industry. Debbie and Julie from ReWeave LA do an exceptional job challenging that stigma.

AJ: Can you tell us about a design trend you are excited about?
LR: I’m thrilled about the increasing number of designers incorporating performance fabrics into interior spaces. We’ve come a long way from bringing “good enough” fabrics from outside into just the family room. Soon, a designer can do an entire interior in cleanable performance fabrics without losing their desired aesthetic.

AJ: What is your favorite thing about being a designer?
LR: Seeing our fabrics come to life in a spectacular interior space is such a gift. Most of the time, I’m looking at fabric in a warehouse, and then it comes to life, and I feel like I’m a part of something magical. I live in a world of caterpillars, but when that butterfly comes out…

AJ: What is your favorite place to find inspiration?
LR: Our friends’ homes. We have young kids, and a lot of our friends do too. I like watching how families use their homes, which rooms are ok for kids and which aren’t. It’s my goal to make every room of the home free of anxiety without sacrificing luxury or design.

AJ: How do you balance functionality and aesthetics in your designs?
LR: This balance is the main principle of our brand. As in cooking, it comes out better when you use exceptional ingredients. LMT uses the highest quality Solution-Dyed Acrylic raw yarns. Yarns made from this material offer superior manipulation into luxurious, styled textures without the undesirable waxy or plasticky feel. All the functionality is inherently present; the focus should be on bringing the fabric’s texture to the forefront.

AJ: What is your favorite type of furniture to design?
LR: Huge sectionals! Preferably a mirrored look in a great room. Fully upholstered head-to-toe. It’s like a 60-yard look, and I love it!

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