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I’d never considered paying triple-figures for an artsy statement blanket from the other side of the world… until I discovered Slowdown Studio.
The bold soft-furnishing brand is founded by Australian-born, Los Angeles-based designer Marc Hendrick. Marc studied architecture in Sydney but found he was more drawn to graphic design, and started off running his own clothing company while doing freelance graphic design and art direction. ‘I was lucky to work with a lot of great artists over the years, which is what led me to the collaborative idea behind Slowdown Studio,’ he tells.
Six years ago, Marc and his wife, ‘DJ/producer/singer/wonder woman’ Anna Lunoe, moved to the US. Three years into their new LA life, Marc went along to a woven art show. ‘All of the art was woven into tapestries instead of on canvases, and I thought that the home goods world needed an injection of some more creative art like this.’
Recruiting artists from across the globe via Instagram, Tumblr, and Pinterest, Marc co-ordinates production from his LA studio, but sees himself as more of a ‘director/editor’ than designer. Slowdown has it’s 100 percent cotton throws woven in North Carolina, in limited runs. For Marc, it’s all about celebrating individuality and artistry, by bringing unique works into homes… in the form of something functional and versatile.
The latest collection is quite a special collaboration. It features an all-Australian line-up of artists, including Elliot ‘Numskull’ Routledge, Lucas Croall, Claire Ritchie and Nadia Henandez – who gave Marc ‘a big list of Australian artists to check out which really shaped the collection’.
‘I grew up in Australia in the 80s when everything was Ken Done and Reg Mombassa – lots of colour, really fun stuff. And now I live in an architectural landscape of washed out pastels and clean shapes (check out the photographic work of Sinziana Velicescu or George Byrne),’ tells Marc. ‘I think Slowdown Studio meets those two worlds somewhere in the middle!’
Next up, Slowdown Studio welcomes another artist of who we’re mega fangirls: Evi O! Get ready for her throws this September. They’re also set to unveil a ceramic collaboration with OM Ceramics in coming months, as well as an online print shop. ‘That’s been really fun to curate,’ Marc explains, ‘because we can work with different types of artists where we’re not confined by the limitations of weaving.’
Slowdown Studio’s products are available online at Slowdownstudio.com and from Australian stockists including Koskela, Jardan, Vela, and Kate & Abel.
