Verity Magdalino discovers the inspirational work of textile designer Ilias Fotopoulos, our ninth nominee for the Temple and Webster / Inside Out magazine Emerging Designer Award. See Lee Tran Lam's interview with Ilias on the Homelife blog.

Who? Ilias is a Sydney-based designer who produces innovative wallpaper and textile designs.

Why we love him: His conceptual and very personal approach, which always aims to involve an element of interactivity. His readable Braille wallpaper for example features a textured 3D design, which literally tells a story with the purpose of raising awareness of the visually impaired.



How would you describe your design philosophy and aesthetic?
What I make is always very personal and more often than not experimental. I never create something with sales in mind.

Where did your love for design come from?
It was always there. Mum is an amazing dressmaker in the mould of hand couturiers. I used to watch her work meticulously. It must be inherited.



What inspired you to create your most recent range of wallpaper, Series 2, which features the much acclaimed Braille and Growing / Falling designs?
Growing / Falling (above) did well commercially, which was an idea based on mould growing on a wall. The Braille project (below, in black and white) was fascinating for me. The starting point was for a multi-faceted project based on a body of work by visually impaired writers. I wanted to make something that was decorative but told a physical story as well. The whole point was that people would be frustrated that they couldn't read it. It turned the tables. It was about understanding how other people live. It's really a project about raising awareness.

I prototype everything by hand, make the screen, do the embroidery then try and find someone to produce it. I wish I could find producers locally but I work with a UK manufacturer who still hand prints everything. They have strong sustainable practices, which is important to me, such as waste and water recycling.



Do you have a favourite design/project from your portfolio?
The most exciting things for me are projects that involve peers understanding or appreciating the work such as being selected to be part of the contemporary design exhibition 'Touch' in Switzerland.

Favourite projects would have to be the first class lounges for Virgin in the UK, and a very irreverent man in Europe who had the 'Growing / Falling' wallpaper installed on a wall that faced an interior astro turf sports field. He knew that the balls being hit around would leave marks on the wallpaper and that was part of the idea, to add to it in a physical way over time. I liked his irreverence.



What are you looking at now for inspiration?
I don't use any resources other than my hands and brain. These are the two most valuable resources for artists, designers and people in general. I get an idea and I try to make it.

What are you currently working on?  
I'm looking at ideas on the loss of the Greek folk heritage of my parents. I'm interested in telling the stories of migrants. Everything in my mother and grandmother's house was created on a handloom. This art is being lost. There are people that still work this way both in Australia and Greece. I just have to find them. I'm very excited about it, producing a way of telling folk stories and how to express that as a product.



What's your proudest career achievement so far?  
Wow… winning Bombay Sapphire, being selected to be part of the permanent collection at the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum in New York, receiving a design distinction in ID magazine, and being part of 'Touch', the exhibition on Switzerland now. These things mean so much more than a good sale to me.

What would be your dream project? 
To work with Rei Kawakubo from Comme Des Garcons or Maison Martin Margiela on a textile, garment or interior concept.

If you had one styling tip what would it be?
Don't buy design because of the brand alone. Understand the integrity behind the piece. Is it original? Does it have integrity in manufacture and in its origin? All this doesn't necessarily mean a high price tag.

Images courtesy of Ilias. 

We're profiling local up-and-coming talent all summer, along with Inside Out magazine's blog, Homelife. After you've met each of the designers and seen their work, you'll have a chance to vote for your favourite. Your votes will narrow the choice down to three finalists, then our expert panel, including Temple & Webster Editorial Director Karen McCartney, Inside Out Editor Claire Bradley and Louise Olsen, co-founder and designer at Dinosaur Designs, will choose the winner of our Emerging Designer Award just in time for Australia Day. The winner will receive $5000 from Temple & Webster, and will also be featured in Inside Out magazine and across the home & interiors media. So far we've featured Tamara Maynes, Kate Stokes, Tate Anson, Chris Hardy, Surya Graf, Daniel Emma, Matt Prince and Ash Allen.