Storytelling Is Not Just a Buzzword
Storytelling is an overused word. I know. Not everything is storytelling and not everyone is a storyteller. But once you get past the eye-rolling, there’s something real underneath it — an attitude, an approach to a project or a career. For me, it’s about zooming out and seeing the big picture rather than a single element.
I built my career as a textile designer through the lens of stories. Not everyone works this way, and it’s not necessary. But I always loved narratives — they helped my sensitive brain survive the real world. I always read, always drew, always watched movies. So when I started working on artworks and collections, it was natural to think beyond one-off patterns.
I like doing research. I like building concepts that can be translated across different techniques, colors, and mediums. That creates consistency and narrative — things that can only exist through specific, intentional, custom work.
Mood Board I created for a project: mix of images from Art, Movies, Design, and fabrics, colors, sketches
And that’s the key that separates luxury from mass. Luxury is intentional. Rather than picking something available to fit a box, it’s a point of view — reflecting a personal culture and sensitivity. It’s unique. Made to measure.
That’s where the real stories come from. There isn’t always a character, but there’s always a journey — moments of respite and moments of density, a common hand at work. It conveys a message, even if that message is simply making a point about color combinations.
I had the same approach starting my print shop. As a designer, my range and curiosity can roam wide, but the work follows stories. I create collections, and within them, series. I attach memories to landscapes or faces, make unexpected color mixes, and jump from thin lines to thick brushstrokes. It’s a more abstract story than a book, but a story is being told.
Theatrical Characters series in the Curiosities Collection.
The theatrical characters are a good example. They belong to the same world — each one has a different personality, a different energy, but they share a hand, a palette, a sense of drama. Hung together, they don’t just decorate a wall. They tell a story. Separately, each one holds its own. But together, they become a cast.
That’s what I mean by storytelling. Not a marketing trick. A way of making things that belong together, that carry meaning beyond the surface. Whether it’s a textile collection for a fashion house or a series of prints for your wall — the intention is the same.