Pearly Gates Designs collaborated with Dillard's Edgehill Collection to create a children's spring clothing line available at Dillard's across the country. Marketing photos for the collection were taken at the Museum of the Southwest.

Pearly Gates Designs collaborated with Dillard's Edgehill Collection to create a children's spring clothing line available at Dillard's across the country. Marketing photos for the collection were taken at the Museum of the Southwest.

Pearly Gates Designs collaborated with Dillard's Edgehill Collection to create a children's spring clothing line available at Dillard's across the country. Marketing photos for the collection were taken at the Museum of the Southwest.

Pearly Gates Designs collaborated with Dillard's Edgehill Collection to create a children's spring clothing line available at Dillard's across the country. Marketing photos for the collection were taken at the Museum of the Southwest.

Pearly Gates Designs collaborated with Dillard's Edgehill Collection to create a children's spring clothing line available at Dillard's across the country. Marketing photos for the collection were taken at the Museum of the Southwest.

Pearly Gates Designs collaborated with Dillard's Edgehill Collection to create a children's spring clothing line available at Dillard's across the country. Marketing photos for the collection were taken at the Museum of the Southwest.

Pearly Gates Designs collaborated with Dillard's Edgehill Collection to create a children's spring clothing line available at Dillard's across the country. Marketing photos for the collection were taken at the Museum of the Southwest.

Pearly Gates Designs collaborated with Dillard's Edgehill Collection to create a children's spring clothing line available at Dillard's across the country. Marketing photos for the collection were taken at the Museum of the Southwest.

Pearly Gates Designs collaborated with Dillard's Edgehill Collection to create a children's spring clothing line available at Dillard's across the country. Marketing photos for the collection were taken at the Museum of the Southwest.

Pearly Gates Designs collaborated with Dillard's Edgehill Collection to create a children's spring clothing line available at Dillard's across the country. Marketing photos for the collection were taken at the Museum of the Southwest.

The illustrations of a Midland designer are being featured in a spring children’s clothing line at Dillard’s locations nationwide.

Carrie Hawkins, 33, grew up in Midland then went on to attend the University of Texas at Austin, where she graduated with a degree in design. Hawkins started Pearly Gates Designs about seven years ago. During the pandemic, she shifted her business from focusing on wedding invitation designs to supplement the lost business from weddings being put on hold. 

“When COVID hit I started pivoting toward patterns and doing more clothing design because due to COVID there weren’t as many weddings,” she said. “That ended up how I tried to figure out that season of change.”

She said her job satisfaction really took off. She fell in love with pattern design and the rhythm of work. 

“I love getting to see artwork used as functional design,” Hawkins said, “something that kids can wear and people can celebrate in everyday life.”

Hawkins has two young daughters and has always been interested in children’s fashion.

Hawkins collection is currently at Midland's Dillard's or check them out online at https://www.dillards.com/search-term/pearly+gates?emphasize=20249778%7C20249733.   Check out the artist at https://www.pearlygatesdesigns.com/. 

“It has been fun to see how my life has been influenced by them (her daughters),” she said. “I have a very whimsical, feminine style. It has been great to see how that interprets into clothing design.” 

It’s been an adventure watching her daughters wear her artwork, she said. For the Dillard’s collaboration, Hawkins and her daughters took photos in the dress designs at the Museum of the Southwest with local photographer Helen Byrd Sledge. She didn’t realize that those pictures would be used for the marketing campaign. Those photos are now up at Dillard’s across the country, showcasing a Midland space and designer. 

She said she doesn’t really take a different approach when it comes to designing patterns for textiles. 

“I create all of the artwork by hand on watercolor paper then I take it into my computer, and with my background in graphic design, I can edit it and clean it up to be printed on textiles,” she said. “Then the company, like Dillard’s, will decide what type of printer to use and what kind of textiles to use for the clothing.” 

This isn’t Hawkins’ first collaboration within the textile world. She has worked with Smockingbird and Weezie Towels. The Dillard’s collaboration came about because she had worked with smaller children’s brands. She has always liked shopping at Dillard’s and had seen that Dillard’s was collaborating with smaller designers. 

“I emailed them and said, ‘Look at my patterns, they would be cute on your clothes,’” Hawkins said. “I even mocked up some photoshopped pictures of their clothes with my patterns on them.”

The next thing she knew was that Dillard’s had followed her on Instagram from that email, she said. 

This group of designs are spring and Easter-focused, she said. The collection starts for kids at 12 months and goes up to 6 years old. There are different dress options for gifts, three girls swimsuit options and one boys swimsuit in this collection. 

“I like to say that anyone from West Texas enjoys any color or beautiful flower amongst the desert, so a lot of them are influenced by nature and floral regrowth,” Hawkins said. “There is a design with bunnies which is playing off the Easter idea. All the designs use different florals and springtime colors like pastels.”

She added that she likes to think this collection encapsulates joy. 

Dillard’s hosted a launch event for the collection on Saturday. Hawkins also sold artwork during the event and raised about $300 for CASA of West Texas. 

“I have gotten so much support from Midland and it’s been so humbling,” she said. “They have been encouraging and supportive. I was blown away by the local workers in our Midland Dillard’s setting up the event. They were treating it like a major milestone for all of us. It has been fun to celebrate not just me but to celebrate Midland and everyone who’s been behind it here.”

She said hopes she will be able to work with Dillard’s on more designs in the future.

--Coach has teamed up with the University of Texas Permian Basin for an in-store event benefiting Falcon Giving Day. Visit the Coach store at the Midland Park Mall from noon to 6 p.m. on April 9 and donate $5 or more toward Falcon Giving Day to receive a free Coach hangtag.

--Coulon Dental has moved to 4504 Holiday Hill Road. The office will open April 4. The grand opening starts at noon on April 15 at 4505 Holiday Hill.  

Jacy Lewis is a reporter and photographer for MRT.