Most creative people lead a busy life, full of activities, deadlines, a full social calendar, and other demands of every-day obligations. Sometimes, one’s creativity wanes and inspiration seem to get lost in the fray.

Stepping back and re-charging yourself is a happy solution to brain drain, and this is where a design-related retreat steps up to provide the inspiration you need.

For the past several years, Cochenille Design Studio has offered up to three creative retreats each year. The venue and focus of each is a bit different, but the end results are similar. Participants feel energized to go home and create, whether it be a new garment, a piece of textile art, or simply a doodle in a notebook.

Design Retreats provide immersive experiences for creatives (or creative wannabe’s) to disconnect from their daily routines and immerse themselves in an environment that fosters creativity, collaboration, and personal growth. Whether nestled in the tranquility of nature or in a city in Europe, design retreats provide an invaluable space to recharge and rekindle one’s passion for design.

Attending a design retreat goes beyond merely working on projects in a unique setting; it’s about building connections with fellow crafts-persons and gaining fresh perspectives that can reignite your creative spark. Through workshops, discussions, and hands-on activities, participants are encouraged to explore new ideas and techniques while forging lasting relationships within the design community.

This year, 2025, Cochenille Design Studio is offering three Design Retreats. Below we will outline the scope of each and share some past highlights.

France:  Fashion, Textiles, and Silk Painting in France
June 2^nd – 12^th, 2025

The location of our France Retreat 2025 is both Lyon, and Buxy (Burgundy) in France.

We have chosen Lyon for a variety of reasons, the most prominent being that the city has a long history of textiles, silk, and textile art. Add to that, that Lyon is the culinary capital of France, and it also is a smallish-in-scale city, it is the perfect setting for a design retreat. We will spend our first 4-1/2 days in Lyon, visiting historic and current textile venues ranging from silk production and weaving to textile printing.

We have two highlights to this portion of our trip: the first is a visit to the printing facility of the French luxury brand, Hermés. The second is our dinner with a French Chef, who has taken us under his wing for the past two years and creates a unique menu just for us! To enhance that experience we will eat in his home, which at one time was the apartment of one of Napoleon’s mistresses. It is gorgeous.

Workshop time in Lyon will involve prepping designs suitable to our second leg of the Retreat; Silk Painting in Burgundy. We will also spend some time shopping for fabric and trims that may enhance our projects.

On the fifth day, we will make our way to Buxy, France by train. There we will work with Nadja Lancelot, a renowned silk painter who happens to not only have an amazing studio for working but also lives in a vintner home that has been turned into a Bed and Breakfast.

Projects there will involve painting on silk. We will being by painting a silk scarf with Nadja at the helm.

In addition to the Scarf project, we will also plan for and paint a panel for a garment that each student designs. Susan Lazear will be instructing on the process of planning clothing patterns suitable for inserting hand-painted panels. Students who have Garment Designer software will work with the software for this task. If any do not have the software, they will work with hand-drawing a commercial pattern.  

Nadja has lined up some field trips to nearby small towns and villages in the region, and we will have a wine-tasting opportunity.

New Mexico Garment Designer Retreat
August 21^st – 25^th, 2025. Cimarron, New Mexico

This retreat/workshop is focused on using Garment Designer. The setting for this retreat is at Casa del Gavilan in Cimarron, New Mexico. It is an amazing remote location, which has breath-taking views and open air.

We have been hosting this workshop for over 10 years, and the goal is to encourage people to come and hunker down with Garment Designer for three plus days and thus leave feeling much more confident in their knowledge and design skills. Every year we pick a theme for the workshop, and in 2025, our theme is ‘One Plus One = Two’. We will focus on how to design two ‘top’ garments that can be worn together. Typically, this would be a top and a jacket, but you can choose to use any other top style you like such as a camisole, sweater, vest, etc.

If you are a newbie to Garment Designer, don’t fret.. we will work with you. Lots of people come to get a recharge, and experienced users do quite well moving through the projects at a higher level. Everyone leaves with a sense of satisfaction.

The first garment will be a Top, and through the creation of the pattern for this, and then, the building of a full-scale paper pattern, we can test fit and style. Students are encouraged to bring some muslin, which can be stitched for even better results. We will evaluate the garment and together, make adjustments should you need them. It is a great skill to know how to take changes back to your Garment Designer pattern.

Once the first garment is set, students will proceed to create a pattern for a second garment bearing in mind that the two pieces will be worn together. Often, this requires some basic changes to certain areas of the second garment if it is to be worn over the first.

We cover much more than pattern design. We also discuss how your choice of fabric or yarn (and stitch pattern) if you are a knitter, play into the planning and building of a pattern.

During the retreat, we cover much more than pattern design. We also discuss how your choice of fabric or yarn (and stitch pattern) if you are a knitter, play into the planning and building of a pattern.

Since we take over the entire Inn, students can leave their computers set up and work into the wee hours of the night, should they wish. We do incorporate a partial day trip into Taos, New Mexico. There we recharge our creativity with visits to designer boutiques, a yarn or fabric store, or the art in the city. Of course, the southwest food is great as well.

 Cochenille Fashion, Craft & Food Retreat
October 9th – 19th, 2025, Verona, Italy

Susan has been leading design retreats to Italy since 2010. She lives in Verona half-time currently and through her long history of visiting there has built many relationships with the locals, particularly artisans and creatives.

This retreat focuses on experiencing Italy for its culture, food, fashion, and art. It combines mini-workshops with local artisans with cooking classes, fashion, design exercises, and exploring Verona.

There is always a trip to Venice to explore the city, walk through the maze of streets and visit museums, artisans, and major sights.

In the past few years, we have been fortunate to attend a craft/textile fair that takes place in Vicenza, a neighboring town. This is one of the largest craft and textile fairs we know.

There are many other opportunities during our Italy Retreat. In past we have window shopped the fashion windows for inspiration, visited a knitting mill, and more. These are all options for our time in Verona.

So, should you take a retreat?

We would encourage anyone to take time for themself and feed their creative soul. Whether at home or on a design retreat, it seems that it is a necessary component of building one’s design awareness and skill set.

The benefit of any design adventure is clear. Retreats not only enhance professional skills but they assist you in prioritizing your mental well-being and feeding your soul. This makes them an essential investment in any designer’s journey.

Do check out our brochures on these 2025 retreats by going here. Info on the New Mexico Workshop/Retreat is here.

If you have any questions, please email Susan at Cochenille.