P R IPNATT AT ENRDN
CRAFTER
BY NATALIE ZEE DRIEU
craftzine.com/03/jansdotter
When I was a kid, every summer I’d play out in the fields,” says textile designer Lotta Jansdotter. Growing up in Sweden, Jansdotter never imagined that her homeland would become a central theme in her design work.
Now based in Brooklyn, N. Y., Jansdotter’s design business ( jansdotter.com), which began in 1996, offers clothing, ceramics, fabrics, bags, and stationery. As a self-taught designer, she learned crafts at age 10, through the Swedish school system, where classes on sewing and woodworking were required.
She arrived in the States at age 20 in the early 90s, and began taking a variety of art-related classes, such as ceramics and drawing, in order to explore what she wanted to do with her life. A course on silk-screening ultimately made everything fall into place. “Knowing that I can actually make something functional, and then I can make multiples … wow!” exclaims Jansdotter.
Textile design has been a strong force in Scandinavian culture, with such known fabric designers as Marimekko and Josef Frank. Jansdotter found it natural to silk-screen her designs onto fabric. “We [Scandinavians] use fabric as part of our everyday lives, as a functional item that also became more decorative later on,” describes Jansdotter. “And I just didn’t see any of that in America, like hand-printed tea towels or fun, printed cushions.”
Part of Jansdotter’s style includes giving Swedish names to the patterns and motifs applied to her bags, ceramics, and table linens. Names like tång or pricka are sometimes made up with half a Swedish name or word. “I want people who see my work to
interpret what they think it is,” she explains.
Jansdotter’s designs have a clean, modern Scandinavian style, yet they also feel warm and personable, thanks to her distinct patterns and muted color palette. Her designs are hand-drawn with patterns that include abstract modern shapes as well as flowers, leaves, plants, and even cute chirping chicks.
For years Jansdotter’s work has been extremely popular in Japan, with craft columns in Japanese magazines, two books on her lifestyle and travel, and specific products that cater to the Japanese market. Her best sellers in Japan? Bags and handkerchiefs. “They don’t have paper napkins in most places in Japan,” Jansdotter explains. “If you don’t have a handkerchief, you’re screwed.”
Interestingly, her home décor goods that most Americans adore don’t do so well in Japan. “I appeal to those in their mid-20s, and a lot of people that age can’t afford to live on their own, or they live very small. The market I’m targeting is more interested in bags because that shows on the streets. It’s all about showing your style off in Japan, so the way you do that is with your clothing and accessories.”
This spring, Jansdotter is busy with her newest book, Simple Sewing (Chronicle Books). “It’s filled with super-easy projects — there are no zippers and no buttons. It’s a sewing book that people can succeed in.” Filled with the flowers, plants, and colors of Sweden that have inspired Jansdotter’s style, the book is sure to inspire the rest of us. ×
Natalie Zee Drieu is associate editor of CRAF T and writes for the CRAF T blog at craftzine.com.
Photograph by Beth Perkins
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