Pre-Spring 2021
Despite and because of difficult times, Ulla Johnson offers a new season brimming with life and optimism. Created within seemingly impossible circumstances, Johnson was singularly inspired by her native city of New York, by the way in which its people came together to support and protect each other, to hold each other even in their isolation. Passion and resilience form the backbone of this collection represented by a tree of life sprung from separation and heart rending loss. Shown in crisp poplins and intricate handknits, this elaborate and unfurling motif reaches from the earth towards the heavens representing growth and giving life, reinforcing our connection to the world and to each other.
Johnson derives strength from beauty and as such has crafted an opulent tableau of print and silhouette transporting us towards a vision of future light. Drawing from a rich language of hand-touched technique, Johnson brings forth a verdant chorus of voices and influences. Japanese tie dye and shibori, Venetian hand marbling, and Indonesian block prints dance across silhouettes that both honor and celebrate the body. At a time when the world questions all of our given assumptions, Johnson re-asserts her commitment to a global network of artisans who came together in the most complicated of times to create a collection bold and new.