Unlocking Creativity with Milliken’s Colour & Patterning Technology
An imaginative concept for a carpet tile design, by a textile design student and Milliken Design and Clerkenwell Showroom Intern, was made possible by Milliken’s patented colour and patterning technology: Millitron®.
Milliken has a longstanding relationship with the textile degree programme at Loughborough University, having collaborated on a competition to design carpet tile concepts for six years running. During 2023 and 2024 Emily Hayes (Loughborough Textile Design student) worked as an Intern, based in Milliken’s Clerkenwell Showroom.
For her placement project Emily was challenged to create a range of carpet tiles that would demonstrate the pattern and colour capabilities of Milliken’s leading edge and recently upgraded Millitron® patterning technology. The brief was to reflect the architecture, artwork and culture of the Clerkenwell area.
Emily explains her starting point and inspiration:
“I began the project by exploring the area and taking photographs of anything that stood out to me. Something that did capture my attention was the Dorothy Annan murals, which I stumbled across whilst I was incredibly lost in the Barbican. The murals were a celebration of new technology and optimism for the future in Britain. My designs explore this connection between the visual language of the murals and the Clerkenwell landscape.”
The colour palette consists of a bold red, yellow and green, combined with softer colours: pink and peach, which give the brights space to breathe. Millitron® is a high resolution digital patterning technology developed by Milliken’s in-house R+D team and is proprietary to Milliken. It enables complex pattern effects and colour combinations, not possible with any other carpet manufacturing technology.
Emily talks about her time as an Intern at Milliken:
“Since beginning my placement year at Milliken in July of 2023, I have been given the opportunity to expand my creativity in a completely new way. I have never explored carpet tiles as an outcome before, so this project has been a big leap out of my comfort zone, and I have become quite passionate about flooring in the process! I have also thoroughly enjoyed working in the London showroom as it has given me a chance to see all sides of the business and a better understanding of the journey from manufacturing of the product to sales. Working at Milliken has given me a sense of direction. It has affirmed my love for textile design and my interest in pursuing a career in interiors.”
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