Creative Profile: Jess Brown
Creator of artisan rag dolls Jess Brown has recently collaborated with children’s book author Nina Gruener and Photographer Stephanie Rausser on the sweet and visually stunning book Lulu & Pip. Having previously collaborated on the beautiful Kiki & Coco in Paris, Brown, Gruener and Rausser reunite to tell the charming story about a doll and her girl, starring the Pip doll from Brown’s collection.
Jess Brown and Nina Gruener will be at the Aldea Home store for a book reading and signing.
Saturday May 24, 2014
11—4 PM Jess Brown Collection Trunk Show
2:30—4 PM Book reading and signing for Lulu & Pip with Nina Gruener
Come by for a chance to see the Pip doll in person as well as view entirely new, unique dolls from Brown’s collection.
Jess Brown’s passion for making dolls came from a lifelong love for heirlooms and fine fabrics, leading her to create her first dolls for her daughter fifteen years ago. Brown’s unique and lovingly crafted dolls are all created out of the Jess Brown Design Studio in Petaluma where each doll is dyed, stitched and dressed by hand. Beginning with only a few dolls per month, Brown now makes and ships over 250 dolls per month from the studio. Her beautiful dolls are a modern take on the traditional rag doll, designed to be loved until they fall apart and are resewn, the ‘ultimate comfort doll made out of the ultimate decadent materials.’
Brown’s dolls are not only original in the rich materials she carefully chooses—the pattern of the dolls is also uniquely brilliant. The body of each doll is designed by Jess and reminiscent of an antique French rag doll, featuring long, skinny arms that make the dolls perfect for little girls to stroll with. Brown’s unmistakable signature is present on each doll through the star eyes, heart-shaped mouth and custom details.
The impeccable style of Brown’s dolls has garnered attention from major fashion houses including Bottega Veneta, which commissioned her to create life-sized versions of the dolls for their Fashion Week windows around the world. The simple, sophisticated style of the dolls has naturally progressed to Brown’s women’s clothing line, Jess Brown Pieces. The timeless, feminine pieces from this line are inspired by the classic and simple garments of the dolls along with vintage flea market finds, which are then updated and redesigned with a modern aesthetic.