We catch up with Halla Koudsi and Jenna Russelle, founders of Toronto-based PRNT Studio, and the team behind the design of our It’s Christmas Dear knot-wrap.

 

Please tell us more about PRNT Studio. How did you come to base yourselves in Toronto?

Jenna: I grew up in cottage country in north eastern Ontario. After graduating from college I made my way into the city of Toronto for work.
I met Halla while working in house for a major Canadian retailer creating prints for apparel. We shared a desk! Over many coffee and lunch break discussions, we decided to start PRNT.

Halla: I grew up between the Middle East and Europe, and came to Canada to continue my education. I fell in love with the country and decided to start my career in the fashion industry, which eventually led me to meet Jenna!

What kind of work are you usually involved with, and what inspires you?

We have been very lucky to be involved in so many great projects. The majority of our work has been in apparel, but we have had the opportunity to work in cosmetics, home decor, accessories, and giftware as well.

Jenna: I am inspired by so many things. Current obsessions include vintage prints and graphics from the 1930s, French cinema, and contemporary illustration.
Halla: My biggest source of inspiration comes from travel. I love new cultures, art, people, music and architecture. I love how colorful the world is.

What’s your preferred medium?

Jenna: ink, guache, ballpoint pen, graphite pencil and Adobe Illustrator
Halla: ink, pen and water-colors. Also love pencil sketching, and of course digital mediums as one cannot live without it nowadays.

Is there a particularly memorable project/collaboration or highlight from your work to date?

Yes – working with Lush Cosmetics on super-fun holiday packaging!

How did you find collaborating with Lush on the Christmas gift range, and what was your inspiration for your work?

Our collaboration with Lush was really fun. There were a few different themes for inspiration that we worked with – William Morris inspired prints, a ziggy stardust theme and a retro holiday theme.

What was the process?

Suzie [head designer at Lush] contacted us with a selection of artwork in mind that she had seen in our portfolio. From there, we created lots of custom work for the project. Suzie sent us a bunch of really great inspiration based on some exciting visual themes LUSH was working with. We did some more of our own research on the themes and started sketching. Many of the prints started off by hand as drawings on paper, or paintings or even collages, which were then scanned and turned into digital repeats. After narrowing down the selection, we began to fine tune the colour and tweak the elements.

What’s next for your studio?

Further down the road we would absolutely love to produce our own line of product.

And finally, what are you hoping to find underneath the Christmas tree this year?

Jenna: I’ve been really getting into cooking lately and I’ve had my eye on a few cookbooks and kitchen gadgets. Oh and hey, anyone reading this can feel free to gift me some yuzu and chocolate bubble bars to help on the relaxation front!
Halla: a ticket to Brazil, I’m dying to go there. And Jenna, the yuzu and the chocolate are on me 😉