Booth 302
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About the Artist
As the creative force of Lillagren, I am inspired by smart design and slow fashion. I see beauty in detail and use my photographs of city and plant elements in original fabric designs for scarves and accessories. I want to capture bits of the character of a place; what draws me in, and what makes a story. Lillagren grew out of my interests in photography, textiles, and sustainable fashion, combined with my professional creative experience. After decades as a graphic designer, I returned to school for a Master's degree in Landscape Architecture. This training changed the way I viewed urban and botanical elements. Details appeared everywhere, and I couldn't not see them. Every walk became a photo session, gathering images of details wherever I was. Curated selections of photos became designs; these designs became fabric for scarves. Many of the images used in Lillagren scarves have been taken while traveling. For the most recent collection, which includes the Reflection and Elaboration scarves, I was based close to home. The images used in these two scarf designs were taken in a favorite nearby park. The scarf fabric is silk crepe de Chine with biodegradable inks created in the US with a more sustainable digital printing process. I sew the fabric into usable art, as scarves with two layers of silk and hand-stitched ends, and additional accessories with reusable remainders. Three scarf collections have now grown to include pocket squares, accent ties, and small bags made from repurposed scarf fabric tests and scrap. While I arrange fabric designs to the dimensions of each scarf, there are incomplete patterns and set-up tests that I save and recycle into these items. I am a big supporter of efforts to buy better and buy less. Lillagren and the scarves are created in this spirit are sturdy, using less harmful and more sustainable methods and materials. Scarves are a simple addition to a more sustainable wardrobe, adding options, color, and texture, as well as an ideal format of usable art. Everything I make is with intention. At every turn and step, I strive to make the details matter.
