Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsey Mortensen.
Lindsey, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I was young, I was really into art and fashion. The public high school I attended in Ohio didn’t have much of an art program, but there was a trade school close by that did, which also took in students from all over the city. For my last two years of high school, I spent half of my day at my normal high school and then drove to another school to spend the other half of the day completely focused on fine art. It was incredible.
For college, I ended up going to art school and after floating aimlessly for a while, I found my place in the Fibers department. It was a textiles program that was under the umbrella of the Sculpture department. That experience really created a foundation for me to think sculpturally and see value and meaning in material choices. I eventually went on to work in the fashion industry as a designer for a series of established brands, but after a few years, I felt like I had my own visual story that I wanted to tell.
That’s when I started my own brand, Larsen & Lund. I launched the company through Kickstarter in 2013 with 3 leather products and after a successful campaign, I have slowly grown if from there to include not just more products but also original artwork and ceramics, all of which I make by hand.
The inclusion of the handmade art and objects as part of a fashion brand that I’ve created, to me feels like I’ve finally gotten to a place where I can combine my strongest passions, the creation of art and fashion under one singular umbrella.
Has it been a smooth road?
My road has been anything but smooth but actually, I think the best way to describe my road is that it has been extremely windy and curvy. I’ve always worked at doing things where I can be creative and make things with my hands and my path has taken some directions which at the time, may have seemed strange (like working as a dyer in a textile studio), but I’ve always felt that when I look backward at my path, it really does look like I’ve been working towards a singular goal. I can admit that I still don’t know what the goal is exactly, but I enjoy the idea that experience accumulates and can eventually culminate into something.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Larsen & Lund story. Tell us more about the business.
Larsen & Lund is a design studio that merges simplicity and functionality with quality and beauty. Until recently we were best known for our leather bags, which we proudly make here in Los Angeles. But over the past year, my original artwork has become a much larger part of the brand. I think it’s this combination of art and sustainable, locally made products that sets Larsen & Lund apart from other brands and businesses.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Living in Los Angeles, sometimes it can be hard to tell if industry shifts and trends are just localized, but I feel like sustainable brands and L.A. – made brands in general have been getting a lot more focus than in the past. I would like to think that this is reflective of a larger trend of consumers becoming more engaged in how and where their products are made.
Pricing:
- Mini Market Bag $595
- Mini Fisherman Bag $250
- Original Art $95-$450
- Ceramics $40-$65
Contact Info:
- Website: larsenandlund.com
- Email: hello@larsenandlund.com
- Instagram: @larsenandlund
- Facebook: facebook/larsenandlund
- Twitter: @larsenandlund
Image Credit:
Jan-Willem Dikkers
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