Michelle Parascandolo

Hi! My name is Michelle and I am a surface pattern designer from New York City. I first discovered pattern design about 15 years ago when I was in high school. I knew I wanted to study art in college but wasn't sure what area I wanted to concentrate in. The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York offers summer programs to high school students and I enrolled in some surface pattern design courses and immediately became obsessed. I ended up majoring in textile/surface design at FIT and graduated in 2012.

After college, I dabbled in other industries, but nothing ever felt quite right. So, slowly but surely, I made my way back to surface pattern design by creating patterns in my free time.

I started building up a portfolio and began posting my artwork online, and within a few months, I had a company reach out to me saying that they wanted to license my patterns. Over time, I began to license my patterns to more and more companies and after a few years, I was making a living from my artwork and was able to pursue it full time.

Since then, I have licensed my artwork for products that go far beyond what I ever could have imagined, from clothing to interiors, and everything in between. I have freelanced for multiple design studios who have sold hundreds of my patterns to companies all over the world.

This past year, I have written my first book, From Petal to Pattern, which was published in the summer of 2022.