Why Fashion? Print and Clothing Designer Lisa Sander Is “in it for the Playfulness”

Prints might not dominate the streets of Stockholm as much as they do in Copenhagen, but there is a long and illustrious history of textile and print design here. Josef Frank’s expressive prints for Svenkst Tenn, made in the 1930s and ’40s, are celebrated the world over, and in the 1970s a collective called 10-gruppen took control of the production process so as to make room in the market for their designs, which were artful and bold in contrast to the more minimal patterns that were commercial at the time. The work of Lisa Sander, a freelance fashion and print designer, broadly fits within this tradition, being largely nature-inspired and graphic. Sander describes herself as being “steeped in tradition;” what makes her pieces stand out is her approach: “I’m in it for the playfulness,” she says.

Sander traces her interest in the arts to her 15th year when she had a work placement in an art school in her hometown of Västerås. It was while studying at Camberwell College of Arts in London for a year that she discovered the world of textiles, a subject she explored when enrolled at Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm. For her Master’s project Sander invited Carin Rodebjer to be her tutor. She became a Rodebjer employee in 2010, after working with H&M and Whyred. In 2021, Sander left Rodebjer to follow her dream of making “art and bespoke fashion pieces.” She’s working at the moment on a project with First Aid Kit.