The Founder

Even as a child, Modern Archive Principle, Cathy Brown, saw the world through its complex color palette. In 1997 she pursued her passion for beauty and art at top art school, The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Graduating from RISD with a BFA in Textile Design, Cathy went on to become a woven design specialist for Wearbest, an interior fabric manufacturer in New York City. In 2005 she made her next move, across the globe, to Australia, where she landed her dream job with Mokum Textiles.

At Mokum she developed artwork from scratch, sending the final designs to be woven at mills all over the world. She attracted immediate attention from the design world, receiving accolades from the Press.

Cathy knew that that one day she would take all that she had learned from the talent around her to create designs for her own company. Cathy founded Modern Archive in 2012, finally realizing this dream.

Cathy develops designs that are original, subtle, and fun. While she puts her heart and soul into her designs, she never lets her mind drift far from her main goal to support the Tibetan and Nepali weavers that in turn support her dream. “I am ecstatic to be able to simultaneously create my own designs and contribute to the communities that weave my concepts into a reality,” said Brown.