Joanna Williams has what many would consider a dream career. She travels to offbeat destinations around the world to collect rare global textiles for Kneeland Co., her Los Angeles-based design resource library and consultancy.
Joanna’s textile collection spans decades and eras, and includes everything from floral prints to yarn dyes, and fabric manipulations to rare embroideries, each with their own unique story from around the world. As a result, Kneeland Co. has become somewhat of an under-the-radar resource for global lifestyle brands, luxury and contemporary fashion design studios, and interior designers who seek to infuse Joanna’s global expertise into their collections.
Clients visit Joanna’s LA showroom by appointment only to browse the panels of colorful textiles that line the walls. Joanna listens to their design trends and consults with a rare anthropological expertise, tracing rare patterns to regional communities and unique embroidery stitches to indigenous tribes.
Her excellent eye for curation is not limited to textiles. Joanna also sources one-of-a-kind rarities, antiques, artifacts and art that celebrates global craft – most recently a collection of Indian tantra paintings from the 1960s.
Now, Joanna is offering her collection of globally sourced oddities to the public in her first Kneeland Co. Pop-Up in Los Angeles, CA, June 15-17. Guests will be able to shop an edited selection of Joanna’s exquisite finds from around the world, including hand painted Bulgarian Pottery, exclusive to the small Balkan town of Troyan, vintage glass perfume bottles from a 200-year old perfumery discovered at the Chadni Chow market of New Delhi, hand-painted Mexican wedding plates from Oaxaca, and a collection of lithographs from artists such as Sperry and Don Blanding, to name a few items.
Just as textiles acquire substance with the context of their geography and surroundings, Joanna’s collection of artifacts are most meaningful when viewed in person and fully enamored by her worldly expertise. Here’s a preview of some of the items available.
Kneeland Co. Exquisite Rarities from Around the World – June 14 by appointment only. June 15 – 17 open to the public from 11am to 6pm.
5564 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028
