Lillagren

Hi, I’m Jeanine Matthews. As the creative force of LILLAGREN, I am inspired by smart design and slow fashion. I see beauty in details, and use my photos of urban and botanical elements in original fabric designs for accessories. I want to capture bits of the character of a place. It’s about the details… what makes the story, what calls our attention and draws us in.

I started Lillagren by merging interests in photography, textiles, and sustainable fashion with my professional creative experience. I hold a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Washington and a Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design. I worked in studio, corporate, and non-profit creative settings for years, venturing into usable art as my third professional adventure. My intention from the beginning was to make accessories that felt meaningful.

Using the old sewing machine I learned on as a kid, I began to create, experimenting with fabrics, printing, and left-handed hemmed edges. I made fabric designs using my photos of the city and plant details. I assembled collections, themes, and scarf designs with meanings. I believe scarves are a simple way to maximize a wardrobe, adding versatility and self-expression.

As a big supporter of efforts to buy better and buy less, I value thoughtful decisions about what we wear and what type of businesses we support. Lillagren scarves are created to be versatile, sustainable, and usable art.

LILLAGREN scarves are versatile, usable art. Every scarf is made with two layers of unique silk crepe de Chine and sewn with silk thread. Silk is a natural protein fiber ideal for both coolness and warmth, and crepe de Chine is considered to be the most durable of the cultivated silks.

I have small batches of my fabric designs created in the US with biodegradable, non-toxic inks on 100% silk. I work with a small textile printer and a digital print process that uses less water, electricity, and fabric than conventional textile printing. I design and sew everything myself in Seattle, Washington.

With the scarves, it’s about details; what makes the story, what calls our attention and draws us in. WHAT IS THE STORY YOU WANT TO TELL?

The NEW ROMANTICS Collection features soft, yet vivid, images of city details, enhanced with redefined words.
The ELEMENTS Collection features bold, patterned silk, with illustrated details of everyday surroundings.
The STICKS + STONES Collection features vivid images of city details, enhanced with redefined name-calling words.
The CITIES + PLACES Collection features details of favorite locations in lush colors, narrated with poetic writing.