Trelise Cooper is the kind of person you can imagine could paint a masterpiece should you hand her a paintbrush, an amazing sketch should you hand her a pencil – and, as her fashion empire proves, when handed fabric she transforms it into an incredible garment.

Now the New Zealand fashion designer, who has recently opened her first shop in Europe among the cobbled streets of Amsterdam, has gone one step further (or should 
we say ventured one step backwards in the design process) by turning thread into fabric.

Having always loved fabric in all its glory, Cooper was delighted when the Charles Parsons Group approached her three years ago to ask whether she would like to design her own range of interior fabrics.

Snapping up the opportunity, Cooper’s second interior fabric collection for the textile company has just hit the stores, while her third collection is currently in production.

"I’ve always loved the texture, colour, patterns, layering and detail of fabric," says Cooper. "The wonderful thing about interior fabric is that it’s much more simple [than regular fabric] because you’re not trying to fashion a garment out of it, so you can have much more 
fun with the design."

The design process for Cooper begins in Italy. "I start with an idea in my mind and then I go to an interior fabric fair in Lake Como to see if I can find that idea amongst the many collections on display."

"All of the best mills in Italy go to this one fair and I spend two whole days scouring through all of their collections and fabric swatches. It’s absolutely massive and it takes hours to see it all but I just love it and find it so inspirational. I think it’s probably the most ritzy fabric fair I’ve ever been to. It’s just gorgeous. It’s held in the leafy grounds of an amazing villa on the edge of the lake. To get to the fair each day you take the ferry from the village of Como. The people who go there are beautifully groomed and the fabric stands are always dressed in the most inspirational way. There is so much to choose from and so many different looks and ideas to narrow down and curate."

From this point on, the whole process of curating, designing the fabric and having it milled in Italy can take up to six months before it ends up in people’s homes. "It is a long process. Especially," laughs Cooper, "if it falls in the middle 
of August when the whole of Europe 
goes on holiday for the month! But it 
is an enjoyable process and rewarding also to see what you have created at 
the end of it."

Cooper’s latest summer collection for the Charles Parsons Group was inspired by French interiors. "My inspiration started with the idea of a French farmhouse kitchen where the kitchen and dining are all in the one room with a big table that people sit around and watch while you cook. So I conjured up this idea of stripes, florals and plenty of heavy linens that would look at home in this type of living area. The way that it translates back at home is that we love having an indoor/outdoor flow – as if it is one space."

"I see the collection very much as being in people’s family rooms, beach houses and boats. It’s a lifestyle collection for the rooms you live in and relax in – not for the ones you only use for a special occasion. It’s casual and pared back 
yet is classic so won’t date. It’s to be 
lived on, it’s to be sat on and it’s to be 
chucked around."