Geometry and geometric forms delight and foster the imaginations of Little and Tall Humans the world over.
For our first ever collaboration print, we wanted to animate the existing work of artists by superimposing them on Petit Pli garments, allowing them to morph into new forms and shapes never taken before.
South of Petit Pli’s own studio in Hackney Wick, is Peckham. The area is a creative hub and cultural melting pot. But more importantly, it’s home to artist and printmaker Jonathan Lawes. We came across Lawes’ work during a team Instagram deep-dive. We were drawn to his prints as they combine the playfulness in shape and placement of Matisse’s paper cutouts and vibrancy in colour used by Mondrian in his iconic grid compositions. More importantly, we thought the shapes used by Lawes’ could dance and grow in beautiful non-uniform ways when placed on a childrenswear . Not soon after scrolling through Lawes’ profile, we decided to take our shot. With our hearts on our sleeves, we shot him a DM and an email for good measure asking if he would be interested in a special project! To our delight he was. And more excitingly, we had an open invitation to his studio space!
We met with Jonathan in October 2021, long after the designs for our collaboration designs were signed and sealed. Ahead of this, our collaborative design work happened all digitally; a sign of the times.
Seeing how he works first hand, selecting and mixing colours, drawing shapes and how he moves in his space was a luxury. He doesn’t like to take a controlled approach. Instead he lets the printing process guide him. He doesn’t follow specific colour guidelines, which leads to a lot of experimentation. Lawes considers every colour combination a surprise.
In between blots of dud prints set up for test shots we discussed his process and journey to Peckham. Lawes studied Printed Textiles and Surface Pattern Design at Leeds Arts University. After graduating in 2009, he spent close to a decade in Berlin. Lawes returned to the UK in 2018, stumbling upon an industrial printmaking studio - pictured above, where he still dedicates hours experimenting with colour and layering. Since setting up shop in the big smoke, he has collaborated with The Conran Shop and COS and many more for special projects.
However, our collaboration with Lawes marks our first! We were excited to work with someone who was as intrigued by the world of growth and visual geometry as us. Lawes confessed during our meeting that he had never seen anything like Petit Pli's material before and enjoyed exploring and experimenting with it.
A collaboration presented a unique opportunity for the Petit Pli team. We were thrilled join forces with Jonathan to create unique and innovative products together.
Check out the Petit Pli x Jonathan Lawes print - Print 03 here.
Available in LittleHuman and Adult designs.
