Can you walk us through your design process? Are there any quirks or features to your studio that reflect your methodology and approach to design?

I alternate between input and output, letting loose and getting organized. When it’s time for input, I read, see art shows, visit archives, travel, and collect references in general. When letting loose, I ideate, draw, paint and print, experiment with techniques, and play around with color palettes to see what harmonies feel good. Then it’s time to get organized and figure out what sketches and ideas stick, how they can be refined, and what they can become— some of the categories I currently work within are fabrics, pillows, blankets, towels and wearables. I then visualise the application and setting, figure out the specifics, finalize the design and colors and send it off to get printed, woven or otherwise materialized with a carefully selected production partner. 

I currently have a small desk which has led to smaller scale patterns – I like to work at 1:1 scale. I go to a printmaking workshop for messier experimentation. I keep a reference library of art and design books to inform and inspire when I feel stuck. I also try to imagine any new designs in my own space so that everything is grounded and works together. One rule of thumb is that I must want the product myself. 

How does your background in printmaking and print design guide your work today? How does it manifest in your teaching of print design?

Having worked in this realm for over a decade has given me a good understanding of different processes, materials and applications. I have also developed a strong color sense which plays a central role in my design work today. 

Enjoying drawing by hand is what got me here in the first place, and I still try to prioritize this in my current practice. I like simplified and reduced artwork which comes from my printmaking background. This is also why I like the color black, along with its connotations to modernist art and design movements. Which stems from Japanese woodblock prints!

I regularly teach guest workshops in print design at universities like Parsons, SVA and NYU.

While I adapt the focus slightly depending on the program, I usually show the students examples of application and use, and demystify patterns by breaking them into categories. I also demonstrate the manual approach to creating a repeat with paper, scissors and tape. The basic principle remains the same regardless of what method or program is used to create a repeating pattern – the artwork should line up at the edges. I emphasize the importance of utilizing the hand to create artwork, which illustration students are not very interested in today. I believe that the hand ages more gracefully than artwork entirely generated in computer programs like procreate, illustrator and so on – they add their own visual characteristics and look dated very quickly. 

What prompted your transition from designing for luxury fashion brands to launching your own design studio?

I launched my own design studio as a space to create personal work and explore ideas in a wider span of categories. My main focus right now is how my designs work in a spatial setting rather than relating to the body. I very much enjoy working in teams, but as a creative, it is also nice to have a space where one does not have to design by committee. It also gave me the opportunity to have full control over my artwork, to be closer to the entire production process and zoom out to big picture problem solving. The unsustainable practices of the fashion industry at large has been a big dilemma for me. Now, I can work with small and local producers and craftspeople and create work that is carefully considered and  designed for longevity.

In your work, you often reference traditional Scandinavian design practices. How does locality inform your practice as you look back to traditional craft?

I was born and raised in Sweden and have lived abroad for most of my adult life. I have always had an appreciation for Scandinavian crafts and design and the interest has grown from seeing my own culture with fresh eyes as I go back and forth. I get a lot of inspiration from my surroundings and would definitely not be the designer that I am today without having lived and worked in New York for the past decade. I appreciate the eclectic expressions here – Scandinavian design is more homogeneous. I also like to think that growing up next to a small fabric screen printing factory outside of Gothenburg, and later living next to the fabric markets in the 18th arrondissement of Paris left a strong impression.

Your work ranges from commissioned projects and collaborations to more personal ones. In your 2023 Knit Wearables project, you partnered with your mother to create a contemporary interpretation of the Norwegian Selbu mitten. How does your creative process vary from project to project, particularly in relation to your proximity to your collaborators?

I have a very practical approach and generally start by understanding the chosen technique and its limitations which then guides the design possibilities. When working with either a craftsperson or a mill, I like to work within their existing wheelhouse but update and evolve it somehow.

As for the Knit Wearables, I got the idea after having drafted some Fair Isle colorwork patterns for a fashion label a few years back. I consulted my mother on some technical aspects as she is a master knitter. She advised that I should change colors every four or five stitches, otherwise the floats on the reverse become too long and cause issues. This limitation served as a basic guide for the designs, and I continued to play around with the concept after the commission was finished. At some point I reworked a Selbu mitten pattern with my own design and asked if my mother could prototype it as she often makes similar styles and is a much better knitter than me. She had retired, recovered from a ruptured brain aneurysm, and was happy to have a project. She set her own pace and ended up making a small edition that materialized as a holiday offering through the retailer Old Stone Trade in 2023.