Studio LileSADi was founded in 2011 by textile designer Dinah and her sister Sarah Smutny. From their studio in Rotterdam (Holland), they design their collections and this is where the finishing of the products takes place as well. Abstract, graphic forms with a playful twist are hallmarks of their style.
A major driving force for them is their love of patterns and materials, and of creating products that people can relate to. A lot of black, white and minimalist – while at the same time it’s soft and poetic.
Dinah and Sarah have a love of true craftsmanship, using only European manufacturers and suppliers. Offering a range of products that grow with every season, Studio LileSADi covers everything from home wares and art prints, to the launch of their own childrens collection called LileSADi petite.
Website: www.lilesadi.com
Time for an interview with the 2 sisters.
Would you mind introducing yourself and your brand to our readers?
Studio LileSADi based in Rotterdam was founded end of 2011 by German textile designer Dinah Smutny and her sister Sarah Smutny. Creating original textiles, fresh wallpapers and other interior products the creative design duo aims to brighten up people’s lives by bringing minimalism and poetry into their homes.
Inspired by Sarah’s son Luca, the studio launched the kids label LileSADi petite in spring 2014. LileSADi petite stands for kids clothes and home accessories for little urban adventurers. Cool and playful kids wear that are timeless and easy to combine.
All our products are designed, printed and made in Europe and the Meow and Bears fabrics are hand screen printed in our studio by ourselves.
Where does the name LileSADi originate from?
The name comes from a Mix and Match of our both names, Sarah Lena and Dinah Lisa. We like the french-scandinavian sound of it. It fits to our poetic-minimalistic style.
Can you tell us a little bit about your background? How did you become a designer for children?
We always liked kids wear. It is s0 playful and so much fun. Since the birth of Sarah’s son Luca in 2012 we started talking about a kids collection and in January 2015 the first collection was launched at Playtime in Paris.
Luca is a big source of inspiration for our kids collection. He is little prince taking us everyday on a trip in his little world of joy and curiosity. Walking around with a child opens your eyes to things you would not notice. A leaf, a funny dog, a pigeon or just a whistling tree, This is great!
What are the inspirations or motivations behind your designs?
For our new collection we were inspired by Rotterdam, the city where everything began. In Rotterdam with its industrial surroundings we find everyday poetic and cozy places with a unique rough charme. We wanted to bring the spirit of our city to our kids wear and designed a collection of aquarels and graphic lines, animals and rain. Hand drawn illustrations in soft grey and pastel rust combined with bold prints in black and white.
Do you have children? How does that influence your work?
Sarah is testing the garments all the time on Luca considering comfort and quality, washing ect. It is really important for us that kids can be kids in it and do what they do best, play and discover.
What are some essentials that every child should have in their closet?
A cool leggings, a black sweater, some vans and a cool cap.
What are the most rewarding and most challenging aspects of your job?
It is great to see your products come to life, from the early stages of an idea to the moodboard until the prototype and the finished product with a label on it. It is a piece of you in the designs kids in many countries will wear.
The production is challenging as we want to keep it small scale and produce in a responsible way, but often you need to order big quantities to get a reasonable price. We are excited that we might work with a Finnish/Portuguese family business for our next collection.
If one of our readers is in your city, Rotterdam, for 24 hours. What one thing would you recommend they do?
Breakfast at Ontbijtbar, Shop at Conceptstore Groos en at & Designshop, Walk over the Erasmus Bridge to Hotel New York and Phoenix Food Factory, Lunch at Deliplein or Tropicana. Visit Bojimans Museum, Eat and drink at Biergarten Rotterdam en go out at Bird.
[Make sure you check out their home-wares and art prints as well]
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Le studio LileSADi basé à Rotterdam a été fondé fin 2011, par le designer allemand Dinah Smutny et sa soeur Sarah Smutny.
Créant des textiles originaux, des papiers peints tendances et d’autres produits de décoration d’intérieur, le duo créatif a pour but d’égayer la vie des gens en apportant une touche de poésie et de minimalisme au sein de leur maison. Depuis 2014, la marque développe la gamme LileSADI Petite, une collection entièrement dédié à l’univers de l’enfant.
Tous les produits du Studio Lilisadi sont conçus, imprimés et faits en Europe.
Vous pouvez retrouver Studio LileSADi sur leur site-eshop ainsi que sur leur page Facebook.
