Botanical leather patterns from Sweden.

Ad | I found leather artisan Carina Sohl from Sweden on Instagram and met her at the marvelous Homo Faber craft exhibition in Venice. She creates beautiful leather patterns decorated with flowers and plants. Each leather pattern is designed individually and made by hand. Today, she tells us her
story.

Carina, how did you come to the idea to create botanical leather patterns?

I think it was my interest in flowers, fine art, and leather that led to this new idea.

I have always been creative in different ways and during a walk in nature, I found a beautiful leaf on the ground. I studied it closely, delighted by its small delicate veins. I wanted to freeze the moment and eternalize the fine lines, details, and the fantastic shape of it.

 

 

This feeling gave birth to a new idea and I started to experiment. After years of research and development, I managed to develop an eco-friendly method to press hand-picked organic flowers and plants into a leather material. Each leather pattern is unique, just like every pressed flower and herbarium.

 

 

How are these beautiful botanical leather patterns made? 

Our atelier is situated in the Swedish countryside, with nature in front of our windows. The flowers that we use grow wild in the forest or on the meadows nearby, but we also pick garden flowers and are constantly developing using new types of plants.

 

 

We have sourced flowers in the surrounding countryside over the years and have to remember, where, at what time, it is best to hand-pick each particular kind. Almost every day from April to October, I have the lucky freedom to roam the countryside and hand-pick the wildflowers. In the atelier, we sort, classify and organize the gathered plants.

Every leather pattern is handmade to order, and the craft process is experimental and demands time. The patterns are created by hand directly on the leather material, using the gathered flowers. The plants are pressed into the skins, forming an exact relief embossment. In the atelier, I love to explore nature ́s possibilities and limitations in this slow craft process and preserve its beauty in my leather patterns.

 

 

Nature is both a source of inspiration and a place of retreat for me, as well as the material store of plants and flowers. I want to convey the sense of humbleness that I hold for nature and living plants, by using the finest raw material in the world – nature ́s own perfect works of art.

 

You already worked together with luxury houses and brands like LVMH, LOEWE, Vertu, Berluti and many more. For which kind of products did you design and create these leather patterns?

I work closely with my clients and try to interpret their wishes, understanding their ambitions, and expressing them in my leather patterns. My clients are looking for something rare and unique and I have created leather patterns for limited edition dresses, jackets, luxury phones and cases, furniture and interior.

 

Which kind of leather pattern would be your dream to create?

Maybe leather patterns for a wedding dress?

 

What are your plans for the future?

So far, I have collaborated with luxury brands and private clients, but my daughters and I have some new ideas for the future. We are planning to create our own exclusive hand-crafted bags by using unique leather patterns. As we actually use new, organic flowers each time we create leather patterns, each bag will become one-of-a-kind.

 

 

You can find more information about Carina Sohl’s leather patterns on her new website and on Instagram.

 

© Pictures by Carina Sohl and Lindblad Studio

 

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