Studio Julie Thissen

textiel, sieraden, Objecten, Design

Julie Thissen (1989) is a French/Dutch designer based in Rotterdam. Trained as a product designer at ENSCI–Les Ateliers in Paris, she worked for François Azambourg and later for Chris Kabel in Rotterdam and established her own studio in 2013. Alongside her studio practice, she also launched The Cyclist, a label offering accessories for urban cyclists and commuters.

Originally rooted in product design, her work has always sought a balance between functionality and material expression — often blending ornament, structure, and tactility. Over the years, her practice has gradually shifted towards a more abstract and autonomous direction. Moving away from the purely functional, she now creates sculptural pieces and material-based compositions that explore texture, color, and form in a more intuitive and open-ended way.

Her recent work sits at the intersection of design, textile, and visual art, and reflects a consistent interest in materials and production techniques—from industrial processes to craft-based experimentation. Collaboration and context remain key to her approach, whether she’s working on an abstract object, curating a publication, or coordinating a multidisciplinary project.

**The loop series** - This collection of wall pieces is made from rope and reflective material. They can be seen as three-dimensional illustrations, designed to hang on the wall. The pieces are the result of ongoing research focused on developing new techniques to shape rope in unexpected ways and give it a new visual identity. The rope material can be soft and flexible, like fabric, but also structured and rigid. This combination makes it particularly interesting to manipulate and transform. The project began with jewellery—experiments combining rope, beads, leather, and sequins to create earrings. Over time, the focus shifted toward more abstract forms, leading to the development of these larger wall-based works.

**The Sparkle Collection** - The Sparkle Collection is a series of sculptural earrings made from rope, reflective material, and lightweight custom components. These statement pieces are part of an ongoing exploration of jewellery that connects material research, craft, and ornament. This project continues an investigation into rope as a design material—not for its functionality, but for its form, texture, and visual impact. The Sparkle Collection sits between jewellery and wearable sculpture: oversized and playful, the earrings highlight rhythm, tactility, and light.

**The Rotterdam collection** - This scarf collection draws inspiration from the cityscape of Rotterdam, paying tribute to its architecture. Each scarf is based on a specific building in the city, translating structural forms and rhythms into patterns on silk. A key feature of the collection is the use of retroreflective material, applied directly onto the fabric. This causes the scarves to shine in the dark when exposed to light. To accompany the collection, Rotterdam-based photographer Mathijs Labadie was invited to create an experimental photo series capturing this reflective quality, highlighting how the scarves interact with light and movement.

**Paper lush** - Each item from the Paper Lush collection is a memorabilia, a bouquet that never fades, a keepsake to give as a present to another or to oneself. More than a card, this object is a small piece of art on which to write and pass a message, a story, a memory, something important. This collection is made by laser cutting various types of papers with different textures, thicknesses and colors. The flowers and leaves are then assembled by hand onto a thicker paper background. Although the flowers and leaves are machine cut, the assembly of the foliage is a manual process that turns each piece into a unique hand made object.

the loop series

Datum: 01-01-2024 t/m 01-11-2024

This collection of wall pieces, made from rope and reflective material, functions as three-dimensional illustrations. They result from ongoing research into shaping rope in unexpected ways to give it a new visual identity. I’m drawn to its dual nature—soft and flexible yet structured. This project began with jewelry, where I combined rope with beads and leather. Over time, my focus shifted to more abstract objects, leading to these wall pieces.

http://juliethissen.com/project/the-loop-series/

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