For Salon Magazine’s spring edition, we have collaborated with Danish textile designer Helene Blanche to create an exclusive capsule collection. This collaboration represents a harmonious blend of fabric and design.
IRMA: How do you start when it comes to a new fabric design?
HELENE BLANCHE: My approach to pattern design is based on intuition and curiosity. I am naturally drawn to refined and poetic shapes with an organic expression. Therefore, all patterns are first hand painted with a soft and uneven rhythm to emphasize a perfect imperfect feel. Inspiration comes from my endless love for exploring lavish, expressive, and refined colors and patterns in art and history.
IRMA: Tell us how the place you work, and life influence your designs?
HELENE BLANCHE: My love for textiles has existed since childhood- my mother sewed our clothes and was a brilliant knitter; I started knitting at the age of 7 years- and trained as a knitwear designer at the Central St. Martins in London. The yarns were an early obsession. This early fascination with textiles and materials has defined my textile design work.
IRMA: What was your first thought when we asked you to collaborate?
HELENE BLANCHE: I have also loved the world of fashion, haute couture, and elegant pieces created with attention to detail. Exploring the universe of Jasmin Khezri and her collections, I felt a deep connection to her elegant work, created with the utmost respect for artistry and sustainability, sharing a mutual passion for colors, texture, and prints.
IRMA: Have you ever thought of creating clothes with your fabrics?
HELENE BLANCHE: I admire the world of fashion and understand that my talent is creating the fabrics, not the fashion items. I feel privileged to collaborate with Jasmin, follow her creation of these elegant, refined pieces, and see our fabrics unfold in her colorful, playful universe.
IRMA: Can you tell us how we can best take care of the clothes we have created with your fabrics?
HELENE BLANCHE: The fabrics are screen printed and woven produced by high-skilled craftsmen and mills in Europe; to maintain the fine crisp quality of the fabric, we propose dry-cleaning.
IRMA: What is your favorite spot in Copenhagen?
HELENE BLANCHE: The two museums, Glyptotektet and Thorvaldens Museum, and I love to stroll the streets behind the Royal Danish Ballet to embrace the ambiance of history, beauty, and art, following sazy cocktails with friends at Hotel Sanders.
IRMA: Your five favourite spots to look for inspiration in Copenhagen?
HELENE BLANCHE: I have always loved to spend an entire day at the Danish Design Museum, viewing their permanent and current exhibitions and spending hours researching at their brilliant library, which is the largest in the Nordic countries in design, fashion, and craftsmanship.
IRMA: Your three favorite interior shops in town?
HELENE BLANCHE: Beau Marche; a French decor and vintage shop; Mark Kenly Domino Tan for clothing; and to visit the local flea markets in Copenhagen and in my hometown, Hellerup, during the summer.
You can see more information about each of the pieces in our shop