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WHY I BELIEVE IN DESIGN EDITIONS


At Kukka, design begins with colour. But it does not always end in mass production. I believe in design as a conscious act, an interplay of form, material and meaning. I never set out to start my own label. But I do want to create autonomous work now and then, pieces that move along the edge of art and design. Editions offer the perfect format for this: small-scale, intentional, and produced on demand or in limited stock.

MY FIRST SURFACE PATTERN DESIGNS EVER


In 2006, during my third year of studying fashion styling in Amsterdam, I found myself reluctantly sitting down to design surface patterns by hand. Back then, there were no computer lessons in our curriculum, everything was done manually. I didn't really enjoy the course at first. The process felt painstaking: creating a repeating pattern meant drawing a grid, designing the motifs, and ensuring the edges aligned perfectly, all on sheets slightly smaller than A3. Precision was essential, but I lacked the kind of fine motor skills that tasks like measuring, cutting or pasting require. I often joke that I cannot cut a straight line to save my life.

I ALMOST DIDN'T BECOME A DESIGNER


When people look at Kukka today, it’s easy to assume I’ve always known I wanted to be a designer. But the truth is, for a long time, I wasn’t even allowed to imagine it. Marking Kukka’s 15th anniversary feels like the right moment to not only reflect on what did unfold, but also on what almost didn’t.