By Jonna Dagliden Hunt
Reimagining retail
IT WAS ANNA TEURNELL’S passion for craftsmanship that brought her to the world of fashion design. From styling windows and rooms for H&M to heading up the design department at & Other Stories and putting Scandinavian fashion on the map as creative director at Marimekko, she knows a thing or two about building successful brands. Since May 2017 she has been head of design at Arket. “We live in really exciting times,” she says. “Brands need to take advantage of that.”
How would you describe your vision as a designer?
“I’m very intrigued by realising dreams and desires through creating something from scratch. It’s like art. Clothes that have thought-through ideas and craftsmanship lift and strengthen me. It’s the same with interiors – when I have things around me that are handmade by people I admire, it makes everyday life joyful, beautiful and functional. I understood this from a very early age.”
Where did you get that from?
“My parents are academics. My mother is a psychologist. She always had this idea that you can make an effort in everyday life. Both my grandmothers were like that as well. They weren’t interested in extravaganza, more ordinary life. My mother would invest in beautiful clothes and interesting interior pieces. We had the Super-Elliptical Table [by Piet Hein, Arne Jacobson and Bruno Mathsson] at home – and I have that now as well. We went to auctions. I’m still a vintage fan. But it doesn’t have to be things, it could also be arranging an everyday dinner – paper napkins on a Tuesday, or decorating with flowers. As a child we often went berry picking. I still do, and then I mix them and put them in a nice ceramic bowl. It’s a simple luxury.”
How does this translate into designing clothes?
“I’ve always had a desire to realise my dreams. I dreamt of a real horse, but did not get one, so we made one in wood. I also remember wanting high heels so I made them from fabric and pins (totally unwalkable of course). It’s that sensation of creating something, and I love to do it with a team – that has stuck with me. My husband asks me sometimes how I can still be so passionate about my work. But I enjoy it so much; the fact t
