My new blog where I will share topics on a more personal note. Whether it be the perfect Gin Sour recipe, my favorite spots in Stockholm, my thoughts on style or the stories and inspiration behind our patterns. I have always loved to write and I am really looking forward to pinning down my thoughts and reflections in a lengthier format. Instagram is lovely and will still be the place where I update most frequently but to be honest, I preferred it before. When it was more quiet and focused on beautiful imagery. Without the rushed reels and all the suggested content and ads. Maybe I’m too old, but I just don’t get them. This newsletter will be a way for me to write more freely about things that I love, what inspires me, where I love to eat and travel and also take you behind the scenes in the day to day business.

As this is my very first On Repeat, I thought I would make a proper introduction.

My name is Cathy Nordström and I’m a Swedish textile designer based in Stockholm. I live 15 minutes outside Stockholm in a leafy suburb with my husband, three kids and our dog Dixie. I  love everything with a story, I’m a vivid auction and flea market hunter and I’ve loved design, textiles, color and pattern my whole life. It may sound naïve but I truly believe textiles and colors will make your home happier! My happiest place is probably our country house in southern Sweden, we spend most of our holidays here with Easter is coming up next! I love a good book, listening to music at all times, going to concerts, experiencing new places and cultures but I absolutely detest the flying and traveling part. Teleportation is the superpower I wish for the most. 

I studied and worked within graphic design for over 10 years before stumbling across a pattern design course online just after my youngest child was born in 2014. I instantly knew I was home. A few online courses and a lot of trial and error later, I was selling and licensing my patterns to brands all over the world. From larger brands like Uniqlo and IKEA to small French and British baby decor brands. However, I was feeling a disconnection to the work I was doing. A lot of my designs where licensed to high street brands and I felt I just couldn’t be proud of my work. Who was making these products? Where? What were the conditions in the factories and what kind of sustainability policy did  the factories have? Fast fashion and cheap home products was not something I wanted to be part of. I wanted to be part of the whole production process. I wanted to design patterns that I wanted in my own home. Produced in Sweden, ethically and sustainably. So after a lot of thought and many hours of listening to business podcasts, convinced that I was onto something,  I took the big leap and in early 2020 I started my eponymous textile brand for home décor, focusing on fabrics and wallpapers made in Sweden.

Today we are a small team, each of us with our own area whether it be sales, handling our trade clients, shop manager, e-com or business. It is no easy feat to find employees and put together a team that’s a good match; especially not when the business is small. Before starting this business I had only been an employee, certainly never been the boss of someone. I’ve had my fair share of quite horrible team leaders and bosses and I knew very well what kind of leadership and company ethos I wanted to bring into this company. I’m a firm believer that mistakes are necessary in order to grow and you learn just as much from the things that have gone wrong, if not more, as you do from the things that do go your way. Just as in a romantic relationship I believe in freedom to create your own path and having fun goes a long way. My small team is everything and they allow for me to focus on what I love the most; being the creative lead and ambassador for the brand, working closely with our factories on design and product development and of course sales. Who knew sales and numbers could be so much fun?

The list of topics for On Repeat and fun content on Instagram is rapidly growing and I really look forward  to working on this as it’s something I really enjoy . Last September we moved to our new location in Stockholm, a new office and showroom which will also serves as a physical shop with a mix of our own textiles, vintage textiles and unique object sourced by myself at auction houses and flea markets. We have so many fun activities planned for spring; one of my favorites ones will be (what has become an annual event) our in-store “loppis" where we sell props from photo shoots, unique pieces upholstered in our fabric, some of my own vintage textiles and ceramics and also some of our own stock at a discounted price.

I’m so proud of the fact that our products are printed and made in Sweden. This was extremely important for me when starting the business. It’s the core of the brand Cathy Nordström and the factories and the people working with us are so dear to me.

For me, sustainability is not only about how we produce but where. So many Swedish factories have had to fold because brands have chosen to place their production in countries where it is cheaper. For obvious reasons. The knowledge and skills of these men and women and Swedish heritage down the drain. Centuries of skills passed on to the next generation die out. I felt strongly that if I could, through my own business,  highlight Swedish production and the factories still running, that was a kind of sustainability too. Production is slower. Fair wages and pensions are paid. It’s production with intent, love and respect for the people doing it for a living.  Choosing to produce this way is costly, and economic growth takes longer. But I wouldn’t change it for the world.

I’m often asked (mostly by men) how my business “is going”. If business is good. What my revenue is.I usually reply by asking them to define “good”. Success will most likely be valued differently by us. Success for me is going to work with a light heart, to surround myself with kind people,  to not work weekends, to be able to curl up on my sofa at night and watch “Never Have I Ever” with my kids, to have dinner together as a family every night, to go for a long walk at lunch with Dixie. My list could go on and on. But I think it’s a topic worth thinking about. We have one life and it took many years to find my true passion work wise, I was about to turn 40 when I started up. This doesn’t mean that I don’t get overwhelmed with work, because I do. Quite often. But I actively choose to postpone things when I can, in order to be able to do all the above. Sure, economic growth might take a bit longer. But I love what I do and I want to continue doing that. I want to foster a warm and exciting working environment and stay true to our core values as a business. That means slow organic growth, having fun, listening to music in the office, only working with kind people and continuing to highlight Swedish production. And last but not least, always make time for a gin sour on Friday after work. 

Welcome to my blog, I hope you’ll enjoy it!

XC