Homegirl London pays homage to one must dash. Owned by best friends Anneli Sandström (left in picture) and Anki Josefsson (right in picture) who make bold and quirky Art Prints, Cards, Tea Towels plus a very large wall hanger in the shape of scissors and a tote bag in the shape of a large envelope. This partnership is based on a sense of humour and they communicate via Skype because Anneli is based in Brighton while Anki resides in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Since starting their business back in November 2011 they have certainly made a big hit with their Art Prints and I’ll be surprised if you haven’t seen them in a shop, online or on social media. Everything they make is of the highest quality; take the Art Prints for example – these are on the finest FSC Certified papers. I caught up with the duo to find out more …
Q: Why call the company one must dash?
A: It all started with our shared fascination for facial hair. We LOVE moustache! A moustache is decorative AND a little bit funny – just like the essence of our business idea. We then added a bit of our personalities into the name and there’s the dash; two energetic ladies who are always on the go.
Tata Art Print, £55
Q: Tell me about your design backgrounds.
A: Anneli studied graphic design at School of Design and Crafts in Gothenburg and Anki studied marketing and copywriting at University of Gothenburg.
Q: How did you meet?
A: We worked at the same company ten years ago and couldn’t stop laughing whenever we had a chat. It was love at first sight!
Small Talk Art Print, £35
Q: Why set up your business?
A: We share the same kind of (odd) humour and love for interior design. So to work together and laugh was so much more fun than to work apart and sulk. To start up with typographical Art Prints seemed logical since we are a mix of graphic design and copywriting.
Kiss Me Right Here Art Print, £35
Q: Where are you based and why?
A: We both have our studios at home; Anneli is located in Brighton and Anki in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Q: How many people work at your company?
A: Just the two of us.
Q: Describe your design style.
A: Quirky, yet decorative. The idea is to let our shared humour guide us in the creative process. Many clever successful companies design beautiful things, we wanted to put a twist on ours.
In a Minute Toupee Art Print, £55
Q: Where do you draw your creative inspiration from?
A: Each other mostly. We try every crazy idea on each other and if one of us isn’t at all amused we reject and keep on going. We also do a lot of browsing online, like Pinterest (completely obsessed to be true), visiting shows, etc.
Q: Tell me about your product range.
A: Art Prints and Cards: bold, black and white (except the pink one!), typographic, sometimes retro and sometimes not, but always decorative and a little bit quirky. These are printed on Fine Art Paper.
Shhilence and Typed Love Art Prints, £35-55
Cards
Scissors Wall Hanger: a giant pair of scissors made of plywood and black Formica.
Scissors Wall Hanger, £85
Not Another Bag: a canvas tote bag with leather handles.
Not Another Bag, £75
Q: What’s your fascination for with quirky interior accessories?
A: Our fascination for interior accessories with a twist is a desire to emotionally affect people positively through design; to bring a smile to people’s faces, if not for life at least for a moment. That feels good!
Q: Which designer do you admire and why?
A: We admire Jonathan Adler a lot, because of his playfulness and madness.
Q: What’s the best thing about owning your own business?
A: Designing what we like, want, need and learning by doing. All the Skype conversations while in pyjamas. Going for a swim in the middle of the day if the weather is nice and working at really odd hours.
Q: What one piece of advice would you pass on to someone wanting to set up their own business?
A: Relax, don’t take it too seriously. And do what you like the most.
Q: What’s coming up for the rest of 2013?
A: We’re working on some new objects at the moment. We are also planning on taking one must dash to some trade shows outside of the UK.
You can purchase from One Must Dash.
Credits: text by Homegirl London, images courtesy of one must dash, special thanks to Anneli Sandström and Anki Josefsson.
