Last month (yes I am that behind), we were graciously welcomed into Unison’s storefront here in Chicago. The shop was the epitome of their brand. Robert and Alicia design beautiful, playful textiles that are meant to live amongst other brands and styles in, you guessed it, unison.
It was interesting to hear Robert’s game plan for shows and all the options that are available. He looks for new suppliers, partnership opportunities, finished products that enhance Unison’s aesthetic and takes note of the emerging trends.
Unison is also the only brand we have heard from that distributes a physical catalog. Before branching out into hard goods, the catalog was a way for Unison to communicate the ease in which their products can be integrated with existing craft. Most people are visual learners and need the assistance of beautiful photographs of a product in use to start to envision it in their own space.
Both Robert and Alicia started their careers with the super fabulous Marimekko. In the Finnish spirit, I am pairing Unison with the Humppa. Humppa is a type of music, but it also refers to a style of dance and can mean social dancing. It’s a lot like how the waltz or mambo are both types of music and a category of dance with different variations…at least that’s my reductive understanding. It is comparable to the foxtrot and has been likened to the samba, but there is much more improvisation.
Similar to Unison’s bold and whimsical patterns, the humppa is equally playful and characterized by happy, lighthearted vibe. It is appropriately a partner dance, where the couple bounces around the dance floor, much like how Unison has bounded around different categories like from bedding to dinning to bath textiles.
I am convinced Robert and Alicia have been to a humppa or two during their time with Marimekko and hope that is something they have carried into Unison.
P.S. A creeper picture of a (coffee) maker with its (human) maker. Couldn’t resist.
