Miriam Parkman - English — santa

What’s your story?

Well, long story short I've always been very interested in clothing; among my earliest memories is the agonizing feeling of wearing something in a color or model I didn't like (that my mum liked and put on me). My mum has also always been into thrifting; buying old bed linen and embroideries for nickels at local charity shops and auctions saying "It's a cultural deed!" and "They're a historic treasure!". I didn't always like going thrifting as a kid but as expressing myself through clothing became more important in my early teens, I started wearing vintage clothes. Combined with the facts that I was a history nerd and my paternal grandmother knitted and wove constantly, it sorta morphed into eventually becoming the textile artist I am now.

I took a "fashion and handicraft" program for the Swedish version of high school (between 15-18 years old) but it wasn't until I was 23 that I continued on that path, finding Handarbetets Vänner school in Stockholm. It had been there since 1879 and I couldn't believe I had lived in Stockholm for then five years without noticing it. It's a small school focused on weaving and needle work, teaching traditional techniques but with the aim of letting each student shape and design their own work (compared to other more traditional alternatives in Sweden where lots of historic textile reproduction is on the schedule). 1940s-1960s fashion and design is still my favorite but I still want to create my own design, not replicas. I studied at HV for three years, 2013-2016, and it's really the base of everything I'm doing now. It was simply great and I learned how to weave, use a floor loom, dye my own yarn and make my own weaving patterns during those years.

In 2016 I graduated and co-founded the weaving collective Studio Supersju the same year. We're still working together, making exhibitions and artwork. In 2020 I released the book "Att Väva" (To Weave) with my Supersju colleague Arianna Funk, and it's being translated to english and released by Trafalgar Books in August. I've been 100% freelance since March 2019 and so far it's working out really good. In 2020 I also released a capsule collection with Swedish brand Indigofera, inspired by me and my work in the studio, consisting of five work wear-inspired garments and two blankets woven at Rörås Tweed in Norway with designs from my hand woven pillows. It's sold really well and my inner 10-year old who dreamt about one day being a fashion designer had her moment! :D

Right now I'm working with my recently set-up web shop, and preparing for the next big Studio Supersju exhibition coming this fall. We've also just received our first official commission - or - been asked to make a suggestion for the art decoration of a new retirement home. We've got one opponent and until May to present our suggestion. Hopefully they'll select ours and I would have work for more or less the whole fall!

What are your values?

Well, I'm quite proud of my classic education and grounded knowledge in floor loom weaving, but it's the ways I've personally developed and explored in rya knotting and flat weave/tapestry weaving that means the most to me. They've become my signature techniques and I'm constantly discovering new things about them. I take a lot of inspiration from famous 50s-60s designers such as Barbro Nilsson, Marianne Richter, Ann-Mari Forsberg and Veronica Nygren, but I feel confident in making my own styles and inventions. With my established social media platforms I hope to bring light and interest to hand made textiles, the work behind them and the importance of color in your everyday life.

What can we find at Miriam Parkman Textiles?

Instagram and Patreon for work and inspiration content, the web shop for sales, Studio Supersju happenings and exhibitions for art. When the book releases in English we are SO MUCH hoping to travel and do a little book tour in the US but it still feels unsure due to covid. This fall seems a bit too soon but next spring has to work, right!?

Are you open to custom work or collaborations?

I do custom work - pre-ordered pillows being the most common one. Last spring I finished my first big private commission, a large rya floor rug for the home of a wealthy couple collecting a lot of modern art. Their whole house had been renovated and decorated by an architecture firm called Jägnefält Milton, and I'm still in contact with them for eventual future collaborations. I wouldn't take a commission for a pre-made design; I find absolutely no fun or interest in weaving if the design isn't up to me. I love to collaborate and have design inspirations to work with, but I see myself as an artist and not a hand-driven machine. I figure that if you want my work you want it because of the way I make it :)

Where can we learn more about you and work work?

Website: www.miriamparkmantextiles.com | Instagram: @miriamethel