Noble x Jordan Barton Collaboration: The Prairie Print

Coming this week: Meet the Prairie Print! A very special Noble x Jordan Barton collaboration that we've been working on for months is launching this Thursday 6/16 @ 7am PST for Adults & Kids!

We teamed up with Portland, Oregon based illustrator & designer Jordan (@jrdnbart) to concept and design an exclusive floral print for our SS22 Canvas collection! We chat with her more about her process & work as an artist. Tell us about the work you design and how you discovered your personal design style? A lot of my work has to do with a gut feeling- does this shape feel right? Does this color add to the piece or take away from it? As a self taught illustrator and designer, I haven't had a ton of design theory to work from, so my leading force is my intuition. It's been a whole lot of trial and error and I've made a LOT of garbage in the process, but over time I've taken the bits that actually worked from different pieces and stitched them together to form my art style. Overall, I'm interested in using exaggerated colors and proportions to turn feelings into shapes. What's your personal process like while creating an exclusive print like our collaborative Prairie Print? I always start with a lot of generating. This looks like getting every idea I have out of my head and onto paper, because a lot of times things look pretty different in my brain vs. in reality. Once I have everything I can think of out of my head and into my workspace, I compare it all and figure out what works and what doesn't. I try to take a collaborative approach when I'm doing client work, especially when my work will be on something as permanent as clothing, so I always pull as much from the person I'm working with as possible to make them feel represented in the collaboration. Most importantly, I try to take a lighthearted approach to prints- I respond to fun colors and shapes SO much and I find that a lot of the people around me do too. 

When you aren’t drawing or illustrating, what are other ways that fuel your creativity?  Oh boy, I could talk about this one for a while. I took up knitting about a year and a half ago so that I could have a creative hobby outside of illustration (once illustration turned into my job, I didn't get the same release from it that I used to get when it was just a side-gig). Knitting has become a huge part of my life- it's a low-stakes, highly learnable hobby and you get to wear the result! There's something so satisfying about watching the project you're working on slowly turn into what it's supposed to be. I've told lots of people that knitting has become my therapy in the last few years- you can put on an audio book, get your knitting project, and just sink into your own little pocket of the world for a while. 

You just moved to Portland, Oregon last year— what are some of your favorite things about living in the Pacific Northwest? I love just about everything about living in the PNW. Having lived my whole life in Phoenix, Arizona, I was more than ready to leave the constant heat, extreme sun, and endless hot pavement. I love that I can walk just about anywhere and I'll be sure to see beautiful, old houses and incredible plant life on the way. I love that the coast is just a couple of hours away and that my dog Danger has finally gotten to be a beach boy for the first time. My fiancé is a huge outdoor enthusiast, and I love that nature has become a big part of our lives since moving. I even love the rain and clouds most of the time- 55 degrees and overcast is my perfect day (and it happens to be most days here!). 

How does it feel to wear something you’ve designed? It feels almost unreal, like my cooler/more creative twin designed the clothing and I just get to wear it. (Haha, not really, but also kind of?) I will say, the few times someone has complimented something I'm wearing and asked where it's from, it's been the highlight of my week to tell them I designed it myself. I feel hugely lucky and proud when I get to wear something that started out as a tiny idea in the back of my head. 

This limited-time collection includes pieces for Adults & Kids including Utility Suits, Franny Dress, Scrunchies & Tote Bags.