MARIA TOLVANEN
As Part Of Our Endeavour To Bring In Modernism In Our Indigenous Crafts, Anuprerna Welcomes Designers From Around The World. This Time, We Are Collaborating With Maria Tolvanen, A Finnish Textile Designer, For A Range Of Hand Painting Fabric Using Natural Dye.
The Story of Maria as Textile Designer
Maria, a freelance textile designer specializing in pattern design and home textiles, possesses a unique talent for finding inspiration in the everyday. Her designs are a delightful fusion of playfulness, simplicity, and a genuine handmade aesthetic. By drawing from the mundane and seemingly banal aspects of her surroundings, Maria creates textiles that breathe life into spaces, infusing them with warmth and character. Her work is a testament to her ability to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary, making her a sought-after collaborator in the world of textile design.
Inspiration:
“The inspiration for my collection for Anuprerna came from different minerals and stones, and also their imitations, e.g., the way marble surfaces were imitated in Finnish interiors in the previous centuries. The colours, in contrast, were chosen to reminiscence the sultry days of late summer”
Point of View:
“The collaboration process was a work of art in itself. Product Development happened by sending sketches and photos of samples back and forth and commenting on each other's work.”
“I love the idea that the result is fabrics imitating my paintings imitating surfaces imitating minerals. Doesn't get more meta than that!”
Visuals
Happy to hear from Maria:
“I was thrilled to collaborate with Anuprerna, as I'm very interested in indigenous craft traditions. It was an exciting starting point to collaborate across cultures that are so distant culturally and aesthetically. Sustainability is also very important to me - being familiar with textile and fashion industry's often exploitative and unsustainable nature, it was reassuring to know that the fabrics were produced in fair circumstances”
Explore the Visuals
frequently asked questions
Who is Maria Tolvanen?
Maria Tolvanen is a Finnish freelance textile designer who specializes in pattern design and home textiles. Her designs combine playfulness, simplicity and a handmade aesthetic, drawing inspiration from everyday surroundings.
What is the Anuprerna x Maria Tolvanen collection?
It is a range of hand painted fabric using natural dye, created as part of Anuprerna's effort to bring modernism into indigenous crafts by collaborating with designers from around the world.
What inspired the collection's patterns and colours?
The patterns were inspired by minerals and stones and their imitations, such as marble surfaces imitated in Finnish interiors in earlier centuries. The colours were chosen to recall the sultry days of late summer.
How was the collection developed?
Product development happened by sending sketches and photos of samples back and forth, with Maria and Anuprerna commenting on each other's work.
Were the fabrics made under fair conditions?
Maria says it was reassuring to know the fabrics were produced in fair circumstances. Sustainability is very important to her, given the often exploitative and unsustainable nature of the textile and fashion industry.
