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West Elm adds Johanna Uurasjarvi as head of design
19 Jun '15
3 min read
West Elm, a home furnishings retailer has added Johanna Uurasjarvi as senior vice president of design, responsible for guiding the overall creative direction of the West Elm brand across all its sales channels.
“She will lead the product design team and report to West Elm president Jim Brett,” a West Elm press release informed.
With more than 20 years of fashion design experience, Uurasjarvi joins West Elm from the lifestyle brand, Anthropologie, where she was the executive creative director of product design.
While at Anthropologie, Uurasjarvi consistently delivered innovative collections and was an instrumental part of a team that helped the brand expand to more than 200 stores with over $1 billion in revenue.
“It was a great privilege to be able to work with Johanna during my career at Anthropologie,” said Jim Brett.
“We had a powerful partnership and to have a chance to work with her again is an incredible opportunity for me, for West Elm, and for our customers,” Brett added.
During her time at Anthropologie, Uurasjarvi also conceptualised and launched the wholesale fashion brand Leifsdottir.
Featuring clean lines, unique prints and high-level craftsmanship, the label was carried by 200 additional stores, including Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom stores.
“I am thrilled to join the incredibly talented West Elm team and build on the solid foundation they have created, taking impact sourcing, artist collaborations and accessible style to the next level,” said Uurasjarvi.
“After 15 years of designing apparel, accessories and home collections, I am looking forward to narrowing my focus solely to home,” she too added.
“With a family of my own, it is an area that I am inspired by every day, as I constantly seek to create a comfortable home that both functions with our lifestyle and reflects our personal style,” she observed.
Born and raised in Finland, Uurasjarvi graduated from Helsinki’s Aalto University in the field of Art and Design and worked internationally before settling in at Anthropologie, headquartered in Philadelphia.
“Now she will embark on styling a new dream home that blends her Scandinavian heritage with the modern aesthetic of West Elm,” West Elm informed.
The West Elm brand introduced its first catalogue in 2002, and opened its first store in 2003 in the Brooklyn neighborhood, where is has its headquarters.
Mixing clean lines, natural materials, and handcrafted collections from the United States and around the world, West Elm creates unique, affordable designs for modern living.
The brand operates 72 retail stores in the US, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. (AR)
“She will lead the product design team and report to West Elm president Jim Brett,” a West Elm press release informed.
With more than 20 years of fashion design experience, Uurasjarvi joins West Elm from the lifestyle brand, Anthropologie, where she was the executive creative director of product design.
While at Anthropologie, Uurasjarvi consistently delivered innovative collections and was an instrumental part of a team that helped the brand expand to more than 200 stores with over $1 billion in revenue.
“It was a great privilege to be able to work with Johanna during my career at Anthropologie,” said Jim Brett.
“We had a powerful partnership and to have a chance to work with her again is an incredible opportunity for me, for West Elm, and for our customers,” Brett added.
During her time at Anthropologie, Uurasjarvi also conceptualised and launched the wholesale fashion brand Leifsdottir.
Featuring clean lines, unique prints and high-level craftsmanship, the label was carried by 200 additional stores, including Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom stores.
“I am thrilled to join the incredibly talented West Elm team and build on the solid foundation they have created, taking impact sourcing, artist collaborations and accessible style to the next level,” said Uurasjarvi.
“After 15 years of designing apparel, accessories and home collections, I am looking forward to narrowing my focus solely to home,” she too added.
“With a family of my own, it is an area that I am inspired by every day, as I constantly seek to create a comfortable home that both functions with our lifestyle and reflects our personal style,” she observed.
Born and raised in Finland, Uurasjarvi graduated from Helsinki’s Aalto University in the field of Art and Design and worked internationally before settling in at Anthropologie, headquartered in Philadelphia.
“Now she will embark on styling a new dream home that blends her Scandinavian heritage with the modern aesthetic of West Elm,” West Elm informed.
The West Elm brand introduced its first catalogue in 2002, and opened its first store in 2003 in the Brooklyn neighborhood, where is has its headquarters.
Mixing clean lines, natural materials, and handcrafted collections from the United States and around the world, West Elm creates unique, affordable designs for modern living.
The brand operates 72 retail stores in the US, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. (AR)
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