Johanna Howard
@johannahowardhome
www.johannahoward.com
Montclair, NJ
Discipline: Textiles
Region: United States - Mid Atlantic
Johanna Howard Home and Accessories is a line of Sustainable Luxury Alpaca home décor products featuring the finest alpaca wool fiber. We combine a modern high design Scandinavian/American aesthetic with the ancient textile traditions of Peru. We do not believe that luxury goods have to be produced in a way that is exploitative of the environment or the people who create them, or that consumers have to sacrifice quality for sustainability.
Born in Stockholm, Sweden, Johanna Howard grew up in a culture that prizes high design and aesthetics. Her mother owned a small custom-clothing atelier and combined impeccable craftsmanship with a unique sensibility. “My mom didn’t knit snowflakes and reindeer. Her bold designs broke with convention and she used innovative colors and patterns.” And this marriage of artisan quality and unique design continues to define Johanna’s look – inspiring such items as the innovative Beast Pillows.
Johanna moved to the U.S., and developed her design skills in the fashion capitals of Los Angeles and New York as a succesful women’s clothing designer. But on a trip to an alpaca farm with her daughter, inspiration struck. She was immediately taken with the luxurious feel of the alpaca wool and also the fact that it was a far better environmental alternative to cashmere. As a designer, mother, and entrepreneur she immediately recognized the fantastic opportunity before her. Within months, she was in Peru meeting people who are continuing a 6,000 year-old tradition of knitting and weaving with alpaca. “Taking the rich traditions of Peruvian artisan knitters and weavers and blending it with my love and passion for colors and textiles is what makes what we do so special.”
“We create lasting, high-end, quality products that have a positive impact on the world we are leaving to our children as well as the homes in which we are raising them.” Alpaca farming is done in harmony with the environment and does not destroy grasslands and create deserts like cashmere production. And alpaca wool is lightweight, water repellant, warmer than wool, and hypoallergenic. Joining this “treasure of the Andes” with gorgeous designs that enhance any home, and collaborating with fair trade and women-owned studios in Peru, we are able to create an unparalleled product which is the essence of Sustainable Luxury (TM).