About

Umbrella Prints is an Australian textile house specialising in organic printed fabrics and a boutique range of thoughtful and useful product.

Known for their highly distinctive printed designs in exquisite and unusual colourways Umbrella Prints fabrics are sought after by artists, designers, people who sew, collectors and crafters with sensibility world-wide.

Formed in 2006 by artist & textile designer Amy Prior and graphic designer Carly Schwerdt the sweet collaboration brought together the skills of two very passionate creatives who simply wanted to design fabrics that enhance people's spaces and lives.  Their approach as artists gifted them the time to develop creatively before the confinements of business could ever restrict their design process. This early naivety naturally built an identity & strength that brings something unique into the world .

Umbrella Prints first hand screen-printed onto organic hemp/cotton and have recently added a quilter's cotton range. It is their large printed artworks and time spent playing in the studio that often inform the direction of a collection.

The artists celebrate the mark making, drawing, paint, printing with objects and hand cutting stencils all as part of a creative exploration that drives design process with attention to the small wonders in life. Amy & Carly are naturally inclined to imbue their pattern designs with stories and meanings and in doing so looking beyond the surface of surface design.

Environment

Making the best possible environmental decisions has been a careful consideration for Umbrella Prints in everything from base cloths to packaging.

GOTS certified 100% organic base-cloths in hemp/cotton and cotton; water based inks, single screen runs to reduce water wastage, recycled and/or recyclable packaging; wrap for large packages made from used rubber.

Along with the practical elements of environmental care in production Umbrella Prints embraces design thinking and creative process as a means of encouraging new ways of doing more with less.

The annual Umbrella Prints Trimmings Competition, now in its 8th year, is essentially a design challenge and the ultimate metaphor for looking at 'waste' product with new eyes.  

Umbrella Prints are actively engaged with seeking out new opportunities, no matter how small, to minimise environmental impact. 

The inks used are water based 100% solvent free. The fabric is machine-washable but we recommend hand washing; no bleach.

Our new collection of quilters weight fabric is also designed in Australia and machine washable.