Working with Lily Trotters: Meet a Screen Printer Who Swears by Her Compression Socks

A giant, spider-like apparatus takes up most of Connie Wang's work space. There are boxes full of t-shirts and buckets full of different colored inks scattered around a big table. Her "office" is at home, where she runs her screen printing and design business, Icon Artistry. 

Connie's work looks like a blast, but it's also a demanding craft. The screen printing process is both physical and creative -- she's on her feet all day, constantly moving, conceptualizing, and creating. When Connie discovered Lily Trotters, she discovered how much her comfort affects her productivity. 

We love to hear about the many different ways that our customers benefit from compression socks, so we visited Connie at her home workshop to chat about her art and how compression socks improve her work day. 

How did you first get into screen printing?

I first learned screen printing in 2005, at a study abroad program at Central St. Martins in London where I had access to the school's amazing textile print studio. I've been printing ever since, so it's been 12 years total! 

What type of work does your job entail?

Alongside the actual screen printing -- a process that involves dragging ink over a stencil to transfer a design onto a textile -- I also illustrate and design graphics for web and print. Some graphics are for the t-shirts and merchandise I'm printing, but others are for digital prints or online use, like band album covers or brand id packages. For print work, there's also a lot of setup required: formatting the artwork, prepping the screens, shooting the artwork onto the screens, setting up the screens on the press, and mixing and matching ink colors.

What do you like most about your job?

I like that it's both a methodical process and a creative process, and there's a gratifying flow to the work. I also have the coolest set of customers one could ask for. When they're happy with the end results, it makes my day.

What are your favorites types of projects? 

I love projects I can take through the full cycle from design to print - it's fun to design a new image from scratch and then be able to put it into production and see it become a real thing.

What is the biggest challenge of your job?

There are constant deadlines, so the biggest challenges come when I'm trying to meet a deadline and something unplanned happens. An equipment failure, shipping delay, or back ordered stock can cause a stressful time crunch.

Being on my feet all day can also wear on me physically. I'm standing about 5-7 hours a day, and after a long day of printing, I can feel pain in the balls and heels of my feet. 

Did you notice a difference when you started wearing Lily Trotters? How did they help?

Yes - I can wear Lily Trotters over the course of a long production day and my feet don't ache. Alleviating the pain allows me to forget about my feet and focus on the many moving parts of my job. 

Do you have a favorite color/pattern of Lily Trotters?

Classic black!

If you think compression socks are just for runners, think again. Anyone who is on their feet all day can benefit from the increased blood flow that compression socks provide. We've seen how compression socks help Connie make her magic. Find out how they can help you, too!