Design Inspiration

The basis of my design process includes the emphasis on color, texture, structure and shape.

Music, nature, history, art, archeology, ecology, urban culture, travel, architecture, Buddhism and our overall environment serve as ab infinite resource of inspiration in work, life and design practice. 

The main focus at Sans Soucie is to transform waste textiles into unique textiles and by-products using artisanal textile techniques in combination with obsolete and digital technologies. 

As a designer, it is important to have the ability to adapt, be curious and ready for that moment of (re)discovery. For me, I have learned to understand that my greatest breakthroughs are a result of a mistake.  The moment, I am not present or focusing on the task at hand, I find myself in a position faced with some form of disruption. Over time, I have learned that this more often than not opens up new directions and pathways in my research and design practice.  I see my mistakes as opportunities to connect with my creative process.  

Philosophy: Zero Waste

Textiles influence and affect all aspects of our daily lives. From the clothing we design and wear to the blankets and carpets we have in our home, our society is highly dependent on functional textiles.

While studying Textile Arts at Capilano University, it became apparent to me that there was an overabundance of non-functional textiles and waste in our world that needed to be made functional. I became aware throughout my experimentation that a process of dyeing, cutting, and silk-screening regular-grade nylon hosiery resulted in a more stabilized and functional material. Not only does the material become stabilized, but it is also machine washable, more abrasion-resistant, and less likely to ruin or run.

Since developing this process, I have been producing and exhibiting one-of-a-kind and limited production hand made textiles and clothing made from hosiery mill waste obtained by mills in Canada and the US. This has since expanded into other 3D forms and sculptural installations as I look to transform the waste I produce in the studio into objects that speak to the creative possibilities that waste has to offer as a material resource. I believe my specialization in working with waste and hosiery has not only reinvented a use for this material, but it have prevents it from going to the landfill. 

From the textiles I use.... to the dyes and silk-screening pigments I apply in my process, I am making a conscious effort to use products that are safe or minimally-damaging to our environment. It is important to me that we are aware of our resources, and how using them affects our environment.  All water, dye, inks and textile scraps are used, reused and fully exhausted in-house where it is possible to operate from an open loop system.  

My design philosophy and company name, Sans Soucie, which translated from French means ‘without a care’, truly represents who I am as an artist and designer. The textiles, clothing and sculptural forms I create are built in response to my need to address cultural identity in relation to the identity of the cloth and materials I work with. I design by intuition and strive to maintain a presence where I can operate from a space of reciprocity.  

The education I have received in clothing, textiles and visual art enables me to be question yet be self reflexive about what it means to work from a zero waste philosophy.   

Katherine Soucie

Official Seal, BC Creative Achievement Award