News and Media

Article By: Darren Miller
Published: Apr 4, 2011

The vibrant colors and striking patterns of clothing in the Lilly Pulitzer section of many U.S. department stores inevitably grab the attention of passersby and shoppers.

For the last few years, that common reaction has been largely due to the work of two SCAD alumni: Victoria Davis (B.F.A., fibers, 2005) and Paige Smith (B.F.A., fibers, 2008). As members of the six-person print team at Lilly Pulitzer, Davis and Smith have created many of the playful prints, patterns and colors that, once transformed into fabric, define the signature clothing of the famous fashion brand.

And even they have paused and taken notice when they have come across the finished product in a store or on the street. "I never take it for granted, and it never gets old," Davis said of seeing a print she designed transformed into clothing. "It reminds you why you work so hard."

Every Lilly Pulitzer collection, every piece of clothing, begins with original artwork, hand drawn or painted. Rather than relying on computer-produced patterns or stock imagery, the print team uses a variety of methods and materials - ink, gouache, watercolor, pen, markers, acrylic, block printing, embroidery and more - to create the designs. This unconventional approach, Davis said, really allows a surface designer to grow and develop.

"We have a lot of respect for original and new designs at Lilly, and I love that my job allows me to be so creative. To actually be able to go to work and paint and draw is so important to me," said Smith, associate print designer at the company, where she has been working for about three years.

For her, the joy of her job comes in "the very beginning and the very end" of the process. "The moments where I am coming up with ideas, sketching and painting are so exciting," she said. "Then after it is all done, seeing people in my designs, it's surreal."

Davis worked as designer of print, pattern and color at Lilly Pulitzer for four years until recently accepting a dream job with Lands' End, where she will soon begin as conceptual designer for print and pattern for all segments of the brand (including its women's, men's, children's, home and Canvas lines). Lands' End has chosen her to be a part of its "futurist team," giving her the rare opportunity to help develop the print definition and direction for the brand. Still, Davis, too, continues to be wowed by seeing her Lilly Pulitzer creations come to life.

"People are walking around wearing my drawing or painting. To see something that was once a vision, a thought, a moment, come to fruition and affect someone's life is an indescribable feeling," Davis said. "It's amazing to witness that and be the only one who knows. Unless I'm with my mother, then everyone in the vicinity knows that I designed it."

Creative Roots
Davis, influenced by her mother's artistic background, produced her first watercolor painting at the age of 4. A few years later, she would sit in the kitchenette of her father's law office and draw patterns on napkins. "I remember him saying, 'I'll bet you'll be a fabric designer,'" she said. "Creativity is in my nature; it is a part of everything I do."

When the time for college arrived, the Orlando, Florida, native selected SCAD, which had been courting her since high school. Concerned at first that attending college farther from home would have provided her with more of a challenge, the professors and classes at SCAD quickly won Davis over.

Initially, her obsession with KitchenAid appliances compelled her to study product design, but foundation studies professor Deborah Mosch, whom Davis considered a mentor, encouraged her to explore the fibers program. "This is it," Davis recalled thinking when she made the switch, as the fibers program combined her love of fabric and color.

Most important for her, SCAD in general and the fibers program in particular provided the challenge she desired: the perfect balance of robust instruction and a "let me see what you've got" approach. Davis appreciates that SCAD provided her with a rich technical and factual education while allowing her the freedom to find her own way artistically.

From understanding the structure of various garments to knowing how every fabric takes color differently, Davis continues to benefit professionally from what she called a "very well-rounded SCAD curriculum." "Everything I learned at SCAD has helped me in my career," Davis said, "and has helped me teach others in my industry."

Smith - who first learned of SCAD when she read "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" and was sold on her first visit to Savannah - arrived from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, during Davis' senior year (neither recalled crossing paths). And while certain aspects of the university had changed since Davis first enrolled, Smith enjoyed a similarly engaging environment in which to learn and grow.

"I cannot say enough good things about the fibers department," she said. "I learned a wonderful range of skills, and the professors in this department are unbelievably committed and open to the students."

In Spring 2008, as Smith prepared to graduate, she knew attending the annual SCAD Career Fair could prove invaluable. Informed by fibers professor and department chair Cayewah Easley that a SCAD alumna would be representing Lilly Pulitzer, which topped her list of desirable employers at which to begin her professional life, Smith arrived at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center a bit early, making sure to beat the crowds to that booth.

That is where she first met Davis, and, as Easley expected, the two hit it off.

"Both are very passionate about what they do and pay great attention to detail," Easley said. "Because of their personalities, work ethic and aesthetic, I knew they would get along very well."

Easley knew Davis would recognize Smith's talent. "Paige was the first one at my table," Davis said. "I knew she would be a perfect fit immediately."

The ambitious soon-to-be fibers graduate made such an impression that Davis was compelled to capitalize on their SCAD ties, urging Smith to do something she'd otherwise strongly discourage. Smith recalled, "She told me, 'Never do this, but I want to take your work back with me to show the rest of the team.'"

Smith trusted Davis, thanks in large part to Easley's recommendation as well as their instant rapport, and provided her with samples of her digitally printed silk fabric. Another interview and a month later, Lilly Pulitzer hired Smith as a new print designer.

Inspired Minds
While the duo often found themselves comparing experiences and discussing the growth of SCAD, the shared language and lessons they acquired in the fibers program proved highly beneficial as they worked together in the print studio at the company's Philadelphia headquarters. "It was such a pleasure to be able to relate to each other," Smith said.

And like their days at SCAD, Davis and Smith reveled in the creative freedom that the Lilly Pulitzer atmosphere and aesthetic afforded them as they worked alongside each other.

For Davis, the muse rarely rests. When friends and family ask if she ever worries about running out of ideas, she's quick to respond: "No, I can't slow them down."

Visually stimulated by her surroundings, she recognizes kernels of concepts in all kinds of places, from the distorted reflection of square floor tiles in a shiny garbage can to an architectural feature of a building in India.

"It's exhausting," Davis said. "It's a constant thing for me; ideas flash in my head like a slideshow. I'm glad I love what I do because I'm never off."

Smith is similarly observational, and stimuli are inescapable.

"Where to start? I find inspiration all over the place," she said. "I love going to museums - the most fail-proof way to get ideas flowing. I also love visiting gardens, flea markets, vintage shops, sitting in the park and sketching or people watching. I could go on and on."

The passion, creativity and skill of these two SCAD alumni has helped reinvigorate a 50-year-old fashion label once favored by the likes of Jackie Kennedy and other influential style icons of the 1960s. Davis and Smith, by fulfilling inspired ideas through their artistry, have played an important role in the creation of Lilly Pulitzer collections that speak to a whole new generation of fashionistas who want their style served with generous portions of fun, color and whimsy.

"It is a wonderful feeling to know that if I come up with a great idea I can actually make it happen," Smith said.

And as Davis embarks on a new opportunity, the SCAD influence on the brand remains strong, with Holly Sexton (B.F.A., fibers, 2011) joining Smith and the rest of the Lilly Pulitzer team in late April as an assistant print designer.

"I hope students will work to make careers out of what they love to do," Smith added, "because it is possible."