-By Katie Weeks

Just as the multitude of individual dots on one of Georges Seurat's canvases come together to form a visual masterpiece, POLLACK's newest collection, Connect the Dots, unites an array of sophisticated patterns, materials, and colorways for a textile treat.

The debut of Connect the Dots marks the textile company's 20th year in business, and while the collection was not specifically designed to mark this milestone, it is a fine showcase of POLLACK's evolution over the past two decades. The line's 25 patterns range from Ring-o, a viscose-embroidered cotton velvet that plays with positive and negative space; to Archetype, a reversible fabric of vertical stripes filled with split rings; and the collection's namesake pattern, a duppione silk woven, embroidered in India, with a cheeky pattern of concentric circles of multicolored dots. Subtly tactile prints like Eddy, a reversible window fabric, and Astrakhan, a crepe weave of wool, sit alongside patterns that are now possible because of technological advances like Disc-o, a woven recycled polyester that mixes a warp-face satin with dashes of bouclé yarn, and Ringtoss, a Trevira window fabric that is a modern variation on traditional eyelet lace.

"We wanted to include a broad range of materials that were almost exaggerated, combining extremely nubby wools, linens, velvet, and reflective, sleek taffetas that play off of one another more than we ordinarily do," says Mark Pollack, design director. "We wanted the fabrics to have an enhanced sense of materiality."

In crafting the patterns, the designers merged new technology with time-tested tactics. While advances in manufacturing and materials allow for some of the textiles, all started with a hand sketch, a technique that remains at the heart of all of POLLACK's work. "I feel strongly that there's nothing yet that can replace a designer's hand," Pollack explains. "Even with how good computers are and as good as people get on computers, it's not as nuanced or controlled as a person's hand."

The team also focused on functionality. "It's great to make beautiful fabrics, but if they can't be used for a number of reasons, they're not solving a problem," Pollack says. As a result, many of these textiles are meant for application in various markets, appealing not only to the residential realm, but also to high-end corporate settings and the luxe hospitality market. Circle No. 200