Inspired by the simplistic approach of placing value in function, Josie Ford, the namesake and founder of the studio, was drawn to the Bauhaus for its radical push toward modernism – she was also deeply connected to the manifesto proposed by Walter Gropius, “to create a new guild of craftsmen, without the class distinctions that raise an arrogant barrier between craftsman and artist.” With that sentiment in mind, Ford closely collaborated with her team of craftspeople in India throughout the production of this collection as she does with every series of textiles released by the studio.

This collection in particular, presented a unique opportunity for the artisans to expand their craft, challenged by the modern departure of this series from the studio’s past works. Before launching Studio Ford in 2017, Ford immersed herself in the organic nature of the woodblock process, exploring six different textile communities in India that specialized in the techniques of handloom weaving with cotton and silk, block printing, and embroidery. It was this exploration that led Ford to her current team of block printers, ultimately fostering an equitable and sustainable printing community.

Anchored by the prevalent use of primary colors in the Bauhaus, the collection takes cues from the classic imagery of the yellow triangle, blue circle, and red square through custom tones of subdued yellow, blue, and red. To that end, Ford also tips a subtle hat to designer Anni Albers through a spacious, neutral colorway.

Much like the weaving patterns of the Bauhaus, each piece in this collection is geometric and abstract, almost architectural. With each block-printed design, an integral woman of the Bauhaus is acknowledged – Gunta Stölzl, Anni Albers, Otti Berger, and Benita Koch-Otte. A longtime student of printmaking and art history, studio founder Josie Ford has a heartfelt connection to each of the recognized designers as craftspeople. Noting their significant contributions to the Bauhaus school, each artist pushed the boundaries of what it meant to be a maker both then and now – not just as a woman, but as a person engaged with the aesthetic world.