Friday Feature
It’s Friday night and I have to say I feel pretty happy about that. The week has felt long and these are surreal times we are living in with the effects of the COVID-19 virus starting to be felt by everyone. Just more than a couple of months ago, we turned over he page to the New Year surrounded by news of bushfires. The mood was on the sombre side of things but we were all making plans for the year ahead thinking things would be looking up soon enough. News of a coronavirus felt far away and something that was a worry but not an immediate threat to our way of life. Well, as viruses like to do, it has spread quickly and in Australia we too have begun watching graphs and numbers of new cases rise and washing our hands like never before. While the beginning of the year saw so many people reaching out to help each other and raise funds for those effected by the fires, it now seems we are on a different mission to hoard toilet paper, pasta and tin food all for ourselves. A trip to the supermarket is like watching ants before a major thunderstorm as everyone scurries about collecting all they think they will need and more ; I’m pretty sure the only difference is that ants are working together whereas some people here have been having punch-ups over the loo rolls. But while the news is full of all the negative stories, I know there are also stories emerging of people’s selflessness and dedication to helping others and these are the stories that should be heard. My thoughts are with everyone effected by this and particularly those in the medical industry who are working hard to save lives and minimize the spread of this disease. We are all in this together and we all have our part to play.
As a small business owner, I am immediately aware of the financial impact this will have on so many people. I have been planning for a long time to feature some of the many talented people who I have met or whose work I follow and this current situation has motivated me to start. I hope that by sharing the work of other designers and makers that I love, you will be introduced to some new favourites too. There are a lot of creative people in Australia whose income relies heavily on direct sales at large market events. Many of these events take months of preparation and thousands of dollars spent upfront on stall fees and travel plans. The news that these upcoming events are now cancelled is devastating for these small businesses and I am hoping we can continue to support our local community with online sales and takeaway purchases.
After a rather long introduction, for my first feature I would love to share with you the work of One Thousand Lines.
One Thousand Lines is the collaborative business of partners Irena and Alen. I first discovered their work at a market we were involved in a few years back. I have participated in many markets and design events for over ten years both in Japan and Australia so it’s fair to say I have seen a lot of work but their work was memorable from the first time I saw it and I have loved watching how it has changed and developed over time.
Irena and Alen are a multi talented duo who make a variety of products including bags, tea-towels, scarves, jewellery and more. I love their restrained colour palettes and simple designs yet incredible attention to detail in every step of their production process. Their bags begin with sketches from which they make their own screens and screen print their own fabrics to then sew their bags. Their designs take inspiration from the natural environment and they also use natural fabrics such as organic cotton, hemp and linen. Their pieces are thoughtful and I love they way the off-cuts from their bags will turn up as beads in their jewellery. Truly a handmade process right down to the screen-printed packaging.
One Thousand Lines has become one of my favourites for buying gifts especially to send to family overseas or finding a unique birthday present. Irena and Alen are two of the loveliest, most humble people you will ever meet and their work is so genuine and authentic. I admire their business because I love the detail that goes into creating each piece and because their quality is consistent from their products to their website, photography and branding. They have so many unique pieces and if you scroll down their Instagram page you will find tiny macrame treasures and handwoven wall hangings - if you look carefully you might even spy these beautiful people modelling their scarves and bags.
You can see more of their work on their website here: https://www.onethousandlines.com/
Or click on any of the images or links to take you straight to their shop.
Thank you Irena and Alen for your beautiful work and allowing me to share it here. I look forward to seeing what you create next and hopefully catching up in person soon!
All work and photographs copyright One Thousand Lines 2020 and shared with permission.
