Luba Tepsova

Textile dyer

©Luba Teptsova

For the love of pattern

Luba has her own collection of decorative patterns
Her patterns have substance and form
She creates templates for tattoos as well

As a child Luba Tepsova wanted to be an artist, but her family insisted that she join a music school. She kept painting on her own and learned how to sew. At university she obtained two degrees, in Philology and in Art History, but she knew she had to pursue her passion and became a clothing designer. Having created a few collections, she felt that her work was lacking something. Then she had an epiphany about patterns. The pieces of the puzzle finally came together. She’s been working with patterns for 10 years, using knowledge from anthropology, folklore, ethnography, neurolinguistic and physics. She makes clothing and accessories with unique patterns and makes sure that each decoration holds a certain meaning. She mainly works with cotton and silk.

Interview

Do you remember your first piece?: I painted the first pattern as soon as I got an idea of creating a decorative design . It was a very chaotic yet rhythmic pattern, black and green on white fabric. I painted it over a piece of cloth that was 1,5 meters long and made a dress out of it right away.
How do you transfer the pattern from paper to fabric?: If the fabric is transparent enough, I put a sketch underneath and paint over it. If the fabric is thick and dark, I use glass and light, it makes the pattern visible for circling. Opaque fabrics have to be painted over without a sketch, sometimes using a stencil.
What do most people not know about your work?: Among my “tools” are folk art symbols, digits, sound frequencies, crystal lattices and more. My patterns are a visual language, there is meaning behind, and it definitely has an impact on people. A good pattern is the one that beckons you and brings a sense of calm.
What is a memorable work moment?: I’ll never forget painting 5 square metres of fabric for my friend’s wedding dress. It took about a month of daily work. I made sure the paint set down, started rinsing, and the colour washed off! Funnily enough, it was another coincidence: the wedding was called off.

Luba Tepsova is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2008 and she started teaching in 2019