Lottie Bertello
Freelance Textile Designer / Founder + Design Director at LOTI
Highland Park, Los Angeles, CA
lotiloti.com
instagram @shoploti_
Q What do you do?
“My name is Lottie, and I’m a Peruvian Fashion + Textile Designer living in sunny Los Angeles. ”
My full time job is running LOTI, an Upcycling Design Studio I launched about 7 months ago that makes elevated everyday wear from discarded textiles.
On a freelance basis, I am a Senior Textile Designer for small to medium sized brands. I design original prints, embroideries, jacquards, intarsia and other surface layouts based on vintage textiles and original artwork. These are all finished to industry standard, ready to be sent out to any factory your brand works with. Working with me as your textile designer, allows your brand to enjoy the benefits of an experienced in-house textile designer, while only paying for what you need.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
I graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a double major in fashion design and textile design (fibers). During my time there I interned for multiple brands including: Ralph Lauren, Elie Tahari, and Banana Republic. My thesis collection was featured in Teen Vogue, Women’s Wear Daily, Nylon Magazine and Fashionista (a dream!).
Upon graduation, I moved to LA and worked as both a fashion designer and textile designer at: Vince, & Other Stories and Paige. The summer of 2021, I officially ditched the 9-5 life and launched my own clothing line (LOTI). I also continued to work as a textile designer (freelance!) and have worked with brands including: THAKOON, NAADAM, and Something Navy.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
I focused my education and career on textile design, specifically for fashion. Working in the industry quickly made me realize there aren’t many of us- designers who hold expertise in both the garment and the design of the fabric. I think understanding how clothing and the fashion cycle works is what gives me a leg up when sourcing and developing relevant artwork.
By studying both fields and then working in the industry in both roles, I prioritized becoming an expert in both roles from the very beginning.
Q What are you working on right now?
October has proven to already be a very busy but wonderful month! I just wrapped up the textile development for NAADAM’s FW22 collection (lots of beautiful intarsia work for their knitwear) and we’re about to launch our cooler weather pieces at LOTI. Upcycled patchwork wool and brand new prints- stay tuned!
Q What’s your style?
As a fashion designer, LOTI represents exactly who I am as a creative, aesthetically and socially. LOTI is as much about innovative fashion as it is about addressing the overconsumption and textile waste crisis we are currently facing in the world. Please check out our latest collection at lotiloti.com. Prints designed by yours truly, of course :).
The best part of being a textile designer is making the design team’s vision come to life. Working for various brands with very different “ideal customers” really hammered the very important skill of adapting aesthetically. I was once told I have a knack for creating fashion-forward designs, even though I love referencing and utilizing vintage textiles in my work. I’m very drawn to various kinds of florals and really love a good abstract animal print.
You can see the variety of my work in my attached work samples, or request my full portfolio via email.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
Textile development! I would love to be working with a wider variety of brands from different backgrounds on print design and other surface design techniques. My life is skewing more fashion design-heavy than textile design lately and I would love to keep it balanced as both types of design are what fuel me.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
Making the time for “self-promotion”, which in this day and age means keeping up with the “social worlds”, can take up a lot of time and energy. I would love to get my name out more, for both my freelance and small business roles in ways that feel more organic. “Reach out to Editors for LOTI PR” and “book more freelance work” always seem to be the tasks that move from week to week in my agenda without getting done. So here I am, getting really close to shifting one of two “never-completed tasks” to the done pile. Woo!
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
LOTI is growing quickly! Truly a blessing but also the workload is heavy. I would (and will) be hiring a design/ production assistant in both LA and Lima (Peru) in the near future. Being a textile designer is second nature to me by now, but entrepreneurship on the other hand is ~a whole new world~ and someone to handle logistics and help with making sure our systems are running smoothly would be superb.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
“You don’t need a 9-5 to be financially stable”- me to myself three years ago. Because fear of financial scarcity can really hold you back on taking an important leap in your LIFE’s work (not just work, work).
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
There is one particular independent designer I really admire in terms of how she’s developed and expanded not only her brand, but her social work. It’s the one and only Aurora James, founder of luxury footwear brand Brother Vellies and the 15% pledge. I would ask her how she manages to focus on the roles that sit in her zone of genius, while continuing to serve the community she is striving to elevate and how she broke out of the traditional retail mold. So much to unpack.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
I am looking to work with small brands that want to elevate their textile game (original prints, embroideries, jacquards, intarsias and more that really stay true to your design vision!) but don’t want (or cannot afford) a full time/ in-house textile designer.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
My ideal client has a design team (or sole designer) that has a vision for the collection, to which I can source textile development (based on the concept and direction) and go from there. I work well independently and make sure to deliver what is needed in a timely manner. I’ve tailored my services for each brand I’ve worked with (single project or multi-project basis) since some need more direction than others. One size does not fit all
Q: What is your rate?
I usually work on a by-project basis. This means you only pay for what you need. The full development of a print ranges from $350 (for a simple print) to $1000+, depending on the artwork complexity. Full development means you get the print and everything else you need to send it out to the factory (printing advice included!).
I also offer sourcing services for a season starting at $450.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Shoot me an email!
Include “freelance textile designer work” somewhere in the subject so I get to it extra fast :)
Q Who is a creative you admire?
Owning a brand has led me to work with a variety of creatives and by far the best experience I’ve had is with photographer John Moran. He is a multi-discipline photographer based in Los Angeles that shoots a combination of analog (Olympus point and shoot) and digital (fujifilm). Shooting our campaign and studio shots in film has been so important to our brand identity and overall aesthetic.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Thrifting! People watching! Films! And if I need an extra boost, I'll hit up an exhibition or museum.
This member profile was originally published in November 2021.