COMPUTERARTS.CREATIVEBLOQ.COM- 67 -
Slowdown Studio is the brainchild of
Australian-born, Los Angeles-based designer
Marc Hendrick. While studying architecture
he ended up working in graphic design and
dabbling in a number of businesses, mainly in
clothing. The idea for Slowdown Studio came
when he was at a textile art exhibition. “The
art itself was pretty challenging,” he says,
“but seeing how it all worked seamlessly as a
textile made me wonder why textiles in most
home goods companies were so safe in their
design – when it was technically possible to
push the boundaries a little more.”SOURCING SUPPLIERS
Slowdown Studio began its journey with
its popular, versatile and unique blankets,
created in collaboration with artists
from all around the world. Each throw
is created from jacquard woven using
American-grown cotton.
“We’re somewhat limited in terms
of detail because of the nature of
weaving, but fine detail isn’t really our
style anyway,” says Hendrick. “Colour
isn’t a huge issue, but there are certain
combinations of very bright saturated
colours that can’t co-exist on the one
blanket.” He works with a US-based
company which has been dealing directly
with artisan rug makers in India for 25
years. “This way we were already assured
that we were working with weavers under
ethical conditions, and were going to get a
high-quality product.”Depending on the artist they’re
working with, the whole process can
take a couple of months or a year. “We
have a lot of collaborations up our sleeves
at all times to ensure we don’t need to
rush anyone. We start with really small
numbers – 24 or 40 – and will continue
to reorder as long as they are still selling.”CASH FLOW
While the studio’s focus has mainly been
on textiles – blankets, rugs, towels and so
on – it has been branching out to plenty
of other products in recent months. But
Hendrick advises keeping a close eye on
the bottom line: “Cash flow is key. Better
to spend more on smaller quantities and
know that you have a viable product,
than having box-loads of slightly cheaper
products sitting in your garage.”CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT
For artists and designers interested
in working with Slowdown, Marc
recommends dedicating as much of your
time as possible to creative development.
“A great portfolio speaks louder than a
million cold emails, so spend the time
creating and honing your style. If you’re
talented enough, the digital world will
notice you soon enough.”
Indeed, if you are interested in working
with Slowdown Studio, it runs an annual
art competition – though sadly entries for
this year are now closed.COMPUTERARTS.CREATIVEBLOQ.COM- 67 -
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SLOWDOWN STUDIO
THROW BLANKETS WITH A DECIDEDLY EXOTIC FLAVOUR
The Perry, throw by Claire RitchieThe Eno, throw by Spanish Depeapa