About Ella Kaliski

I am a free-flow textile and fashion designer, specialising in designs which encourage personal empowerment and living on purpose.

I grew up on a kibbutz (collective farm) on the shores of the Sea of Galilee and River Jordan in northern Israel. My family home features stunning natural landscapes, with influences from many different cultures which inspire my designs. My mother is English, my father was born on the kibbutz, so my roots are varied. I have travelled extensively, always fascinated by how the locals live, dress, express themselves and celebrate. I am now graduating in Textile Design at Shenkar College of Engineering and Design in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Power Nap

My Final Project at Shenkar is titled Power Nap. It focuses on harnessing the power of what we wear while sleeping, and the interface with the portal of sleep. This allows access to our subconscious mind and the expression of our dreams.

I have created a range of pyjamas individually printed with illustrations based on images representing self-fulfilment, expression and freedom. My project was inspired by personal and collective experiences during isolation and lockdown, which robbed us of our freedom and sovereignty when most wore only pyjamas.

Pyjamas symbolise relaxation. We wear them during our downtime in the intimacy of our homes and bedrooms, alongside those with whom we feel most at ease. Finding ourselves wearing pyjamas most of the time while confined to our homes during lockdown inspired me to feature them in my search for ways to encourage self-empowerment and freedom of expression from our most relaxed state: sleep.

My dreams coming true

The images on the pyjamas express my personal dreams, aspirations and desire for freedom, flow and serenity, in iconic images such as warm sunshine, nature, sunrise, birds, and the motif of waves and free flow.

The purpose of my project is to raise awareness of knowing what we really want, our dreams, and to anchor them on the textiles we sleep in, so they become

rooted in our subconscious mind, allowing their expression in my life.

My project draws on research from the field of psychology and the ‘clothing rooted cognition’ theory, which is based on the idea that what we wear affects our subconscious mind and our life – so let’s make it good.

Technique

I use the monoprint printing method, in which I hand draw directly on a print screen, and transfer the drawing from the screen to the fabric. I select a variety of tactile fabrics which are soft and flowing, which feel free and smooth to reflect my dreams.  The Power Nap pyjamas are an encounter between the printed, the woven and the knitted – and my dreams.

Ella Textiles on Instagram

My Power Nap Project is participating in international competitions

For media and more information please contact me here