The 1960s and 1970s were very productive decades for Lena Rewell with her own business and designs for other companies that reached wider audience. She designed jacquard blankets for Swedish Tidstrand and linen home textiles and cotton towels for Finnish textile giants Finlayson and Tampella as well as disposable Kimara tablecloths.
Finnish design has a long-standing tradition, with fabric printing often featuring bold, graphic patterns inspired by nature, the Nordic landscape, and minimalist aesthetics. Common motifs include florals, forests, animals, and geometric shapes. These colorful prints have been popular for decades, and old fabrics are still sought after.
Lena found her inspiration from nature and the world around her, and she often had a sketch book at hand to draft her ideas straight away. It was a long process until the ideas became fabric patterns. Lena emphasized artistic work, even though it was part of an industrial process. When she designed, she didn’t think about the technical possibilities. Only when the design was ready, it was tested and adapted.
Jacquard upholstery and interior decoration fabrics were launched in 1968. Lena’s passion for colors produced fabrics in renaissance gold, deep turquoise and sunny yellow.
Lena's vivid patterns were turned into printed cotton and linen fabrics bursting with color. The cheerful interior fabrics were also popular as dress fabrics. Lena herself designed dresses for example with her pattern Mansikka (Strawberry) in 1968.
The 1970s was the golden age for bright and joyful home decoration. Lena's jacquard-woven terrycloth towels were an affordable way to add a pop of color. As always, she used eye-catching, lively colors that were boldly mixed.
In Finland there is a strong tradition of crafting, and printed fabrics are often used for DIY projects like garment making, home décor and quilting. A new idea was to sell ready-cut materials that you could sew yourself - why not into similar dresses for mothers and daughters.
For summer 1970 Lena designed a whole series of interior fabrics for Finlayson in eight different print patterns featuring names like Viidakko, Täpläaalto, Ruusutarha and Riikinkukko. These vibrant patterns decorated homes and added color to life!
(photo from the magazine Scandinavian RETRO nr 3 2018 / Maria Jernkvist)
(photo from the book of Sara Axtelius: RETRO tyger vi minns, published in 2018)