Jubilee textile Svenskt Tenn Est. 1924 

Folkungagatan, Karlavägen, Drottninggatan and Mynttorget — the city of Stockholm is depicted in an archival design from the late 1940s. Textile ‘Svenskt Tenn Est. 1924 ‘ is a reimagined edition of a Josef Frank original. Released to celebrate the 100-year jubilee of Svenskt Tenn in 2024.

Josef Frank’s Stockholm

Svenskt Tenn’s 100-year jubilee 2024 is inaugurated with the launch of textile print ‘Svenskt Tenn Est. 1924’ — a design originally named “Stockholm" when it was designed by Josef Frank around 1949-1950. Now we are taking this design into the future and making it possible to look into the city motif with the help of 3D visualization, which brings the familiar streets to life in a modern tribute to the visionary Josef Frank. The digital portrayal adds a new dimension to the pattern, while still reflecting its original feeling.

The film was created by Untitled Services, which used the fabric as a base but replaced printing techniques with digital tools for the craftsmanship. Details such as the tactile textures on the buildings help bring the digital work closer to the original pattern, while cars and greenery add a new perspective.

A jubilee mural

The anniversary print, Svenskt Tenn Est. 1924, has become a mural on Grev Turegatan in Stockholm. On behalf of Svenskt Tenn, Hand Made Media has created a work of art with craftsmanship in focus.

Every detail in the 16-metre high by 5-metre-wide mural has been created with care and precision, from the digital files to outlines and panels that with carbon foam, pencil and paint, form a contemporary image of Josef Frank’s original design. A way to preserve craftmanship in a time marked by fast video clips and noisy advertising.

SVENSKT TENN EST. 1924

There are around 250 Josef Frank textile prints preserved in Svenskt Tenn’s archives. Some of them have previously been in production, while other originals have been preserved only as sketches or pattern design sheets. A few of the prints, have previously only been produced as special orders and never released in the product range. ´Stockholm´ is one of these prints. The new edition features the addition of text graphic Svenskt Tenn Est. 1924 to celebrate the company’s 100 years at the forefront of Swedish and international design.

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Svenskt Tenn Est. 1924

STANDFAST & BARRACKS

‘Svenskt Tenn Est. 1924’ bears many similarities to Josef Frank's ‘Manhattan’ print both regarding the motif and colours. Today, the fabric is printed at British Standfast & Barracks, a company that also celebrates 100 years in 2024. Based in the heart of Lancaster, the company is renowned for its heritage of textile printing as well as its ground-breaking digital inkjet technology.

Screen printing

The jubilee textile is produced using traditional screen-printing methods. While it employs machinery, the process is an artisanal and labour-intensive where every setting is done manually and each colour is mixed by hand. During the process, two print workers must carefully monitor the machines to ensure that nothing in the pattern is displaced and that the colours are spread evenly.

Screen printing requires individual stencils for each colour of the motif. First, the original design is scanned and digitally divided by colour. Then, the stencils are produced by partially lacquering silk-mesh screens, leaving the design uncovered to allow ink to pass through. The screen is then placed onto the fabric and ink is pressed over the stencil using a squeegee tool transferring the ink onto the fabric.

The process is then repeated for every colour until the design is complete, requiring time between each application to allow the ink to dry. Nowadays, a robot does most of the heavy lifting involved in the production, although two people are still required to carefully monitor the process and apply the ink. Once all colours are printed, the colours are fixated using heat, the fabric is then washed, stretched and manually inspected before being delivery.