Born and raised in Stockholm, Elise Lindkvist grew up with a mother from Lapland, Sweden and a father with origins from the Zazas in Turkey. While visiting her grandfather’s textile atelier in Turkey during her childhood years, Elise got acquainted with kilim rugs, the flat tapestry-woven carpets that have always been an integral part of Turkish tradition, and are typically handwoven by nomads who are up to 50-70 years old. Fascinated by the story and the craftsmanship behind them, she decided that in 2015 the time had come to put her work experience in the accessory industry and education in design and entrepreneurship into action. She launched Norrfolks aiming to bring the kilim culture and craftsmanship into today’s modern style, while encouraging local artisans keep their traditional craftsmanship alive. Her fashionable espadrilles and handbags are crafted with recycled kilim fabrics in a long-established atelier in Istanbul in small-scale, allowing local artisans to work under fair conditions. Read on as Lindkvist discusses recycling fabrics, running her young business and expanding her collection.
The story behind the materials you use for your pieces is utterly interesting! Tell us a few words about how you came to this.
My mom is from Sweden, and my dad has his origins from the Zazas in eastern Turkey. So, already from my childhood, I got acquainted with kilim rugs when visiting my grandfather’s textile atelier. What really fascinates me is that every kilim rug has its own story to tell, and there is a true craftsmanship behind it! The kilim rugs, handwoven by nomads where many of them are up to 50-70 years old, are very traditional in Turkey. I wanted to bring the culture and the craftsmanship into today’s modern style. Most of all I like the idea of reusing the rugs and be able to create accessories that turn out to be completely one of a kind!
What is your background, and what were you doing before Norrfolks?
I went to a design high school where I attended the program “Textile & Fashion Design.” I also have a bachelor’s degree in Entrepreneurship. I have been working in the accessory industry since I was 16 years old, starting with an internship next to a jewelry designer. After moving back home from Los Angeles, where I was studying marketing for a year, I decided to start my own company, and build up a brand with focus on sustainability and individuality.
Production takes place in Istanbul, while you run your business from Sweden. What are the biggest challenges resulting from this decision?
Actually, it is easier than you think to have the production take place in another country. Thanks to modern technology, you can do almost everything via Skype or e-mail. Of course, it’s important to visit your manufacturers once in a while; I try to go to Istanbul once every year. This helps maintaining a good relationship with your supplier, as well as being in control over the production process. But, as I mentioned above, most of our communication is done via Skype or e-mail, which works perfectly. So, at the moment, I don’t see any specific challenges with having my production take place in Istanbul.
What kind of modifications do you have to make in order to use these materials?
Not much at all. The only thing that needs to be done before using the rugs is wash them. They get washed carefully without any chemicals that could damage the rugs or the environment. This is actually the only thing you need to do before start using the rugs.
I believe that consumers have been embracing almost all aspects of sustainable fashion, but what about the very method of recycling? What has the feedback you have received so far been telling you?
I have gotten very good feedback from both customers and press. They think the concept of reusing old rugs is very exciting. People seem to think that reusing is an interesting and creative way of making use of what we already have. Personally, I think reusing will become more mainstream in the future. More and more companies will probably run a service where customers can turn in old garments for them to recycle into new clothing, and work towards “closing the loop.”
Are there any negative effects produced from the recycling process that could potentially harm the environment?
Not really, as I mentioned above, all rugs are getting washed carefully without any chemicals that could damage neither them nor the environment.
Since you’ve looked into the issue of sustainability, I can’t help but ask you: are products crafted with recycled materials really sustainable, in the sense that can they last long enough so as to reduce the chances of being disposed?
The nature of kilims is very tough. Imagine that these rugs are up to 70 years old, and still in very good condition! So, the kilim as a material is very long-lasting. We are also working with very skilled artisans who truly know the craftsmanship of working with kilim. All these together result in products of very high quality. For example, our espadrilles will last many many years longer than the espadrilles you buy at H&M.
Are you considering expanding into other accessories – and not necessarily fashion?
I have been looking into home decoration, which could absolutely be interesting for us to work with in the future!
What are you currently working on and what are your future plans?
Right now, I am looking into other interesting materials, which could be possible to reuse into accessories, and would be a great fit next to our kilim collection. I will go to Istanbul in August and work on new designs. I want to expand the Norrfolks collection, which is what I’m going to work on the next coming months.
www.norrfolks.com
Images © Norrfolks
