10 Must-Have Digital Textures For Your Toolbox

Whenever you need to elevate a design, textures are an easy option. They can add interest and authenticity to the simplest composition and bring it bang up to date.

In the Longina Phillips Designs studio we have an enormous digital library of pre-made textures.  It’s an essential resource for the designers on our team and we dip into it daily!

Whether you are starting your texture library from scratch or building upon an already well-furnished folder, check out creative director, Bec's suggestions for using texture in 2023.

1. Tie-dye

You can get so much mileage from a few tie-dye textures. Cut them up, make new variations of them, and create more stylized tie-dye designs like the Ulla Johnson pre-fall examples. Or strip them back and use them as a non-print print for a more sophisticated market, home, or menswear (Scotch and soda).

Clockwise from Top: Ulla Johnson, Raquel Allegra, Scotch & Soda

Then, experiment with filter layers by using that same tie-dye to add ‘overdye’ effects or chop them into shapes/flowers.  The options are truly endless.

2. Oversized brush strokes and bleeding watercolors

These are so great for taking a flat design and adding depth and value.  We love how Boyne has used it over this tropical leaf and Imannoor has added brush strokes to the solid areas of color. 

Sunday London has then chopped up different watercolor bleeds into shapes for their swimwear line.  

Top:  Imannoor Left: Boyne Right: Sunday London

For more watercolor bleed ideas, check out our Pinterest board. 

Used on its own as a design or chopped, filtered, or overlayed, you can use these massive brush strokes forever and ever.

Top: Simon Miller Left: Chufy Right: Proenza Schouler

3. Worn textures

We always have a few of these in our library as they instantly add a vintage vibe to a design.  Zimmermann has made this beautiful Jacobean look very aged, in a good way!

 

Left: Zimmermann Right: Lygia & Nanny

4. Woven textures

Litkovskaya has woven this amazing check, but we would want to create something like this using an assortment of textures. Woven overlays give an instant authenticity and if the customer doesn’t like it, as long as it's on its own layer (please, never merge your textures, it will come back to bite you!) then they can easily remove it.

 Center: Litkovskaya Right: Billabong

5. Denim

Thanks to the 90’s and 2000’s revivals we are seeing a lot of denim.  Having some on hand to work into a patchwork design or pop as a background to a design can instantly take you back to Britney and JT days!

Left: Guizio Right: DSQUARED2

TIP: Scan your own denim for an instant, totally free texture file.

6. Batik

Cracking or dots in batik style are always needed.  We love them as they break up a solid ground color, allowing a customer that uses a not-so-nice base cloth to cover it up and give the end product more perceived value.

 Left-Right: ViX Paula Hermanny, Urban Outfitters, Ulla Johnson

7. Ikat-type textures

Again, build up ikat designs OR use them as background overlays, and cut-outs, the options are endless.

 L-R: Zero + Maria Cornejo 

8. Scratchy textures

They can be used as an all-over non-print, cut up as Derek Lamb has done with the stripe.  Overlayed etc. 

 L-R: COS, Victoria Beckham, MSGM, 3rd Migration

9. Sponging

This Johanna Ortiz print is printed on a textured fabric, but sometimes you can achieve a similar look using a sponging texture overlay.

 

10. Solarized

This solarized look is very ’now’ but these textures can be used for infinity.  To add depth to a design via adjustment layers, backgrounds to swimwear, and fun kid's rainbow prints.  Here we can see AA Spectrum has made a very 2024 look as has Animals for this fun and youthful swim print. 

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