Studio Visit: Kneeland Co. (vintage textile studio)

This time it's a studio visit!
I was lucky enough to get connected to Joanna Williams who runs a vintage textile studio called Kneeland Co.. The moment I read her email introducing her company I knew it was going to be something amazing. Her home studio in Silver Lake was a little treasure island. I don't even know how many times I said "BEAUTIFUL!!!!!" during my visit. She showed me gorgeous vintage dresses (one of them was vintage Oscar De La Renta maxi dress! ), piles of artisan textiles and fabric, beautiful pieces of vintage jewelry, her own embroidery designs and tons of art books and scrapbooks.What I mostly loved about it is that each piece was TOTALLY UNIQUE and made with LOVE.


Tell us about kneeland co.
kneeland co. operates as a vintage textile and print studio and was created as a visual resource to provide design inspiration for product development in the fashion, interiors and beauty industries. My collection of vintage prints and textiles are culled from around the world and include everything from rare embroideries to Art Nouveau needlepoint and Turkish costumes. Vintage and antique jewelry is also a part of my collection, as are embellishments that I design and have made in India. All of my pieces are sold to those in the creative industries.

What made you start the business and how did you get into it?
Well, I have always loved fashion. It was the first love of my life and made such a huge impact on me when I was young. I couldn't afford to buy designer anything, so I would hit up all the thrift stores in my hometown of Houston and compromise. Thrifting truly is an art form, and it's amazing the things it taught me about finding beauty in things and also about getting dressed. I still love it! So I guess I have always loved the old and the used and I developed an eye for finding cool and beautiful things. I would say that's definitely my strength. And after dabbling in just about every side of the industry and realizing so much of it was not for me, I really started to become interested in interiors and lifestyle. I wanted to create my own dream on my own terms, combining all the things that I love and work with creative people of all types and give them something inspirational. My eureka moment came when I was doing some trend work for a shoe company. The lightbulb definitely went off.


Tell us about your book collection & scarab books.
I can't stop buying books or magazines. It's a disease! I've been crazy with the magazines since junior high and that developed into becoming a collector of art and design books. My magazine collection got a little out of control so I started tearing out what I wanted to keep and everything now gets organized into big binders. There are still some issues I hold onto like old copies of Index Magazine, Purple, and of course Domino. As far as books, one of my favorites is The Best of Flair, which is a tome dedicated to Flair Magazine from the 1950's. Every story, every illustration, every layout is just brilliant. They really don't make 'em like they used to. I also just bought a book on 21st-century embroidery in India -- haven't dug into that one yet but I'm on my way. And as a birthday gift my friend gave me a French embroidery book that she bought in Paris titled Le Livre de la Broderie. It's perfect.


Who do you sell to, what type of clients are you selling to mostly?
I mostly sell to fashion and accessories brands, but I am meeting with a very exciting interiors company soon! I sell to companies including Cynthia Vincent, Steve Madden, Trina Turk, Sonia Boyajian and Anthropologie.



What's your inspiration?
I could go on and on -- it never ends! I would say my "forever inspirations" are people who are living outside the creative mainstream and really making special things that they believe in and not letting the current trends dictate their creative process. People living unconventional lives and just really doing what makes them happy. My husband is a waterfall of support and love and helps me to calm down when I'm having those self-doubt, freak out moments, so he is high up on the list of inspiration! As far as my current inspirations, I am really obsessed with finding old tapestries and needlepoint art. I just appreciate the craft so much and the work that goes into it is just mind-blowing. I've also developed a fascination with India and Suki Cheema, a print designer who just launched a home collection. I read about him on Dossier Journal and I swear I felt like we were related in some past life. Jean Cocteau, Louise Bourgeois, and the late Danish pottery artist Bjorn Wiinblad are in my head as of late.


You travel and collect all these precious things. Is it hard to let them go?
You have no idea. Some things I actually sit on for a while because I can't find it in me to part with them right away. If I'm still admiring something for a couple of weeks I usually hold on to it, but I'm learning not to have separation anxiety!


Can we make an appointment and buy vintage items directly from you?
Not at the moment, but as my collection grows I will eventually acquire a bigger space and will also offer the option of appointments.


What's next for kneeland co?
I'm planning a trip to both Mexico City and Morocco at the beginning of next year and am going to explore some treasures there, and hopefully come upon some hidden gems. I would also like to eventually develop my own prints and possibly venture into a line of accessories. There is so much I want to do it's overwhelming, but I like to think big.

*Thanks for such inspiring answers, Joanna! xo

This needle point piece is mine now. I had to get it!

Hope you enjoyed the studio visit with Kneeland Co. Now,, aren't you guys curious to see Joanna's personal closet? Well,,, It's coming in a few weeks!

ps: Don't forget to check out Joanna's Blog!