Rachel Doriss, Pollack Design Director and VP, has textile design in her DNA. “My first official textile pattern was splatter-painting curtains made from old sheets when I was in third grade,” she recalls. It was her grandmother, a weaver, who taught her many fiber arts from the time she was a toddler. Her high school graduation—a new sewing machine—offers another clue to her early textile passions, as did the uniquely personal clothing it helped her create. It was this passion that led Doriss to the Rhode Island School of Design where she graduated with a degree in 1999, and a year later she first came to work at Pollock only to now have moved up the ranks and command a company of other passionate textile designers. Learn more about this impressive artist in this week’s Maker Monday.
The Folk Dance pattern. Every pattern from Pollack and their team is hand drawn first, rather than using digital technology.
Andrew Joseph: You’re the newest Crayola color. What color are you and why?
Rachel Doriss: “Sunshine Coral.” This crayon would be half bright-yellow and half bright saturated-coral. I always lean towards these two colors in my personal life, and my pedicures are proof. I am an optimist, and I think these colors match my disposition.
AJ: Describe your design style as if you were explaining it to someone who cannot see.
RD: An eclectic mix of surface, texture, hand, yarn and structure.
AJ: If you had a superpower, what would it be?
RD: I would like to be able to instantly transport myself to different locations rather than traveling by car, train or plane.
The Rolling Hills pattern. Pollock’s textiles are all high performance, making them perfect choices for upholstery hospitality, commercial or residential spaces.
AJ: If you could live in any home in a movie or television series, what would it be?
RD: I think I’d like to live with the Bradys. I am obsessed with the 1970s interiors and fashions on the Brady Bunch, plus Alice could help me with all of the household chores! On second thought, I would rather just transport Alice from the show and have her come live with me in my home!
AJ: If you weren’t a designer, you’d be a ….?
RD: If I didn’t go into art and design, I most likely would have pursued natural health care. It was a toss-up for me in high school when I was trying to figure out what type of college to apply to. In the end, I applied to four art schools.
AJ: What’s the best thing that happened to you this month?
RD: I visited our best weaving mill in Pennsylvania. I toured their state-of-the-art weaving facility and saw the mind-blowing jacquard looms in action. It never ceases to impress me when I tour one of my manufacturers. The expertise of the technicians, weavers, spinners, and warp-makers is something I have great respect for—and they make me look good.
The Square Dance pattern. Pollack has a large range of designs and techniques that can be used for a multitude of uses. Digitally printed, embroidered and woven, Pollack’s textiles are top quality and always offer exciting colorways.
AJ: What’s your design pet peeve?
RD: Smoke and mirrors. When the buzz is more exciting than the design.
AJ: What’s something you always travel with?
RD: A Baggu reusable bag. I promise that you will always need one of these! These bags are also great in winter when you are peeling off layers of hats, scarves and gloves in public spaces (especially kids’ winter gear). It keeps everything together and weighs nothing.
AJ: What was your first job?
RD: I had a paper route in 5th grade (on Cape Cod where I grew up) and rode an old 1960’s three-speed bicycle with big baskets on the back. I had to wake up in the early morning dark, pack up the papers and do my job before school. On rainy or snowy mornings, my Dad would take me in our 1972 VW hatchback and let me drive on the backroads while he delivered the papers. Suffice it to say, I was a great driver well before I turned 16.
About the Maker | Rachel Doriss studied printmaking and painting, and even taught batik workshops when she first entered college. But it was in the Textile Design department at the Rhode Island School of Design that she realized the practical application of her beloved woven and printed textile techniques. She graduated with a BFA from RISD in 1999, and designed printed silk scarves at Echo before joining the Pollack Studio in 2000. In 2007, Rachel was appointed Vice President, Associate Design Director. She took the helm as Pollack’s Design Director in 2012, overseeing the Studio and guiding the creative vision for each textile collection.
In the Studio, she and her team always begin a pattern by first creating artwork by hand. The studio’s designers are, first and foremost, weavers. Each has a degree in textile design, having learned the architecture of cloth and how to build a fabric from the ground up. They are makers, and they are artists–they believe in the value of drawing with a pencil rather than a computer mouse. Besides the control it gives over the quality of the line, putting pencil to paper expresses a uniquely personal hand.
Like what you see? Get it first with a subscription to aspire design and home magazine.