When tradition meets tech: one designer shares her creative journey from first sketch to final stitch

Kim Chin worked in the textile industry for 15 years before setting up as an independent maker. Here she reveals her design process and the key tech that brings her ideas to life

Kim combines traditional and modern materials and resources to create vibrant, impactful designs that are inspired and perfected using intuitive, connected technology. Her process begins in her workspace, where she uses natural objects, photographs and magazine tears to create inspirational moodboards.

Using the Samsung Galaxy S21 phone, she photographs these and then uses Quick Share to transfer initial sketches and ideas to her Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360, where she can also access her design archive, exploring previous work and ideas that might inform her design.

The piece shown in the video is called Shadow Saboteur, a playful design that represents her two sides: the fierce person “who wants to go forward and connect with the world”, and the shadow image that hangs back.

Once her sketch is ready, she transfers this to lino, cuts it out and prints the design using a roller press. Kim photographs this and uploads it to her laptop, where she finesses the design, and experiments with colour and texture.

“I blow up the image really large, so I can clearly see what needs cleaning up.” She also uses her Samsung S-pen to add extra details and design elements directly on the screen. “Technology is absolutely integral to my work,” she says.

Once she’s happy with the design she transfers it to the textiles that she hand sews. “Getting it onto the fabric adds this other dimension, and gets you excited about what you do,” she says. “I love it. It’s super fun.”

To see Kim’s design process in action, and how tech helps her ideas take shape, click on the video link.

The Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 5G is available from £1349 from Samsung.com