Name: Camilla Lundsten
Lives: Together with her partner Stefan and
their son Tinin, 1, 5 years old
About: Camilla runs her own brand Littlephant
which is sold in several countries around the world. She designs
all the products, writes and makes books with the character
Littlephant and his friends. She also works with Creative Direction
for other brands and as a host and decorator for TV. Recently at
the Swedish channel TV 4 and the program "Äntligen Hemma".
Passionate about: To inspire kids and adults to
their own creativity and encourage their curiosity. She is
passionate about the environment, animals and people. Taking care
of old things, such as furniture, and creating something from the
old. And of course all the fun that is going on with the character
Littlephant and his world.
Fun bric-a-brac: Camilla is not just eclectic
patterns and a lot of colours. She is born and raised in the
archipelago of Stockholm and since she was little she had her on
tool box. Instead of fixing the flat tire on the bike she was
fixing up the boat or hammering on the playhouse when she was 10.
Always dressed in her mother's strange creations from the Swedish
design school Konstfack. Her parents were open-minded though and
that is a huge part in her working in this field today.
Current: With www.littlephant.com and a new
co-operation with Lindex where Littlephant for the first time makes
clothes and as a new member of the magazine Family Living.
You'll find the collection here.
Can you tell us a little about the co-operation with
Lindex?
The Littlephant world has grown from the books with the
character Littlephant in the leading role. As a writer and creator
for children's books you have a huge responsibility for what is
being written and drawn for the younger audience. The children's
filter is not yet there when it comes to what is ok or not. They
are in the middle of learning about life. When we now are making
clothes the choice of co-operation partner is extra important. We
care about how the clothes are produced as well as their
functionality and design. The respect for humans, the environment
and that the garment feels good to wear is something which Lindex
really can live up to and are working actively with.
What inspired you when designing this
collection?
It has been a close co-operation with Littlephant and Lindex
(thank you Stina and the whole crowd for making it so fun!) and I
think that we have inspired each other. But I have also thought
from the children's perspective what works practically in their
everyday life and what makes them happy. Me myself, I get happy by
putting on something colourful and that feeling is visible
throughout the collection.
Do you have a favourite item from the
collection?
Colours give us energy and I like contrasts, such as a softer
blue colour with a strong black line. It is hard to choose a
favourite, since I like all the items. On a personal note I think
it is as cool with striped pinky red trousers on a boy as well as
on a girl. But perhaps that just me…
Describe Littlephant with four words:
Colourful, curios, creative and Scandinavian Tell us about the
world where Littlephant lives: The world of the character
Littlephant is mix of fiction and reality. Humans and animals
speaks the same language, but all thinks different and from that
exciting dialogues and collisions occurs. It is an adventure of
both the small and big things. Raindrops can have different colours
and if you wish really hard you can either get really tall or eat
grass which tastes like peppermint rock. You'll also find lots of
human questions about life, friendship, what's fair and not fair
and the fact that things can be right and wrong at the same
time.
Today there are eight picture books with Littlephant for
toddlers (0-2 years). We are working on picture books for the older
children (3-5 years) where you get to know the world of
Littlephant, his family and his best friends Nina and Mascot. Have
a look here to read more
about them.