Founded by Catherine Fitzsimmons in 2008, Rikshaw Design is all about crisp, cotton bedding and clothing for kids and adults that showcases the ancient Indian technique of block-printing through colorful designs. While the company has a strong online presence (rikshawdesign.com) the good news is that you can find Rikshaw Design in shops all over the Hamptons this season! Here, we sat down with Fitzsimmons for the scoop on where she finds her inspiration.
LIP: Tell us a little about your line.
CF: Sure. All of our bedding and apparel is made of Indian cotton voile, which is super soft and lightweight. We use a range of gorgeous, saturated colors for all of our prints. Our bedding is available for babies, tots and adults, as are all of our clothing.
LIP: Block-printing is such an interesting technique, where did you draw your inspirations from?
CF: Before I founded Rikshaw Design, I was a textile buyer for Pottery Barn and traveled a lot. I saw wonderful techniques in so many countries such as the yarn dyes in Portugal and of course, the block-printing in India. I fell in love with India, the country, the people and the beauty of their techniques. When I saw the level of artistry and the time and patience it takes to come up with these patterns and the colors combinations, I was just amazed.
LIP: You have such wonderful colors in your palette. Where does your inspiration come from?
CF: The new Goa pattern is inspired by the aqua and green colors of its namesake beach town in India. It’s like a yummy sage, mixed with aqua and dash of khaki! It’s a really fun, elevated aesthetic for bedding, something a bit more sophisticated but still whimsical enough for a child’s room, say at their parent’s beach house on Long Island.
LIP: The company started out producing children’s bedding and apparel. What made you decide to expand into adult bedding and clothing?
CF: I like the idea of our customers growing with us so we offer many of our patterns now in twin through queen sizes and have also increased the sizes of our children’s clothing. Last spring, we introduced women’s kurtas and their popularity just took off! So we’re back this year with sundresses too–all available in a range of prints and fantastic colors. Both the kurtas and sundresses are perfect for easy summer living. We’re so excited to have our products available in stores across the Hamptons, it’s a great match!
Design Tip: Forget the old notion that all of your bedding has to be matchy-matchy! Instead, look for pieces that can be mixed and matched—look for complementary colors and patterns and have some fun!