How Thomasine Barnekow revived the habit of wearing gloves: the Swedish designer started her luxury brand from a commission in Tokyo – and is now loved by celebs like Billie Eilish and Margot Robbie
In less than a decade, Sweden’s Thomasine Barnekow has managed to become a go-to glove maker in a market segment dominated by French legacy houses. Now Paris-based but originally from a rural background, this talented and passionate designer has helped revive the habit of wearing gloves as a fashion statement.
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Barnekow’s journey started when she decided to put her engineering studies on hold to pursue an interest in textiles. “I learned sewing and the quality of fabrics from spending time with my grandmother and old ladies on the farm in Sweden,” she says.
She credits then studying abroad with allowing her to challenge herself and fully express her personality in her work. But having achieved the major milestone of being accepted for a place at one of the most prestigious arts schools – Central Saint Martins in London – she took a leap of faith and enrolled at the Dutch Design Academy Eindhoven instead.
“All the Swedish designers I knew at the time went to Central Saint Martins. I wanted to be one of the few who studied in the Netherlands,” she explains.
After graduating, an internship in France was followed by jobs at renowned glove-manufacturing houses and numerous behind-the-scenes collaborations with established designers. A commission for a high-end department store in Tokyo was a turning point that pushed the up-and-coming designer to launch her eponymous brand. She felt the need to claim her own designs as she puts it: “If I am allowed to put my name on my gravestone, why should I be forbidden from signing my own creations?”
Soon, an atelier-shop followed, nestled in a 19th century street just a few steps away from the Louvre Museum, now the flagship of Thomasine Gloves.
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A collaboration with the Opera de Paris early in her career boosted Barnekow on the haute couture scene. “It was at the opera where I measured the hands and fingers of the artists and I was able to master the art of customisation,” she says.
Known as a problem solver, she is often contacted by creative directors for what seems to be an impossible mission. “Nobody considers the measurements of the nails or hands of a celebrity,” says Barnekow, who spent hours searching for photos and videos of Beyoncé to come up with the right style of gloves to fit the megastar.
If I am allowed to put my name on my gravestone, why should I be forbidden from signing my own creations?
When it comes to sustainability, Barnekow says: “I always have it at the back of my mind. Sustainability is essential. However, mastering the design from the very beginning instead of wasting countless prototypes is helpful. Investing in quality materials that make long-lasting products and designing without following fads is also considered sustainable.”
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Barnekow’s down-to-earth roots allow her to fully appreciate her success. “I am building a self-owned luxury label. I don’t push myself too much because I know that when my clients fall in love with my work, they will keep coming,” she says.
It’s a philosophy that seems to be working well, drawing plenty of loyal customers to her picturesque shop.
- The woman behind Thomasine Gloves is down-to-earth and learned how to sew in rural Sweden with her grandmother – today, her self-owned luxury brand is loved by celebs from Beyoncé to Bella Hadid
- Barnekow ditched an offer from Central Saint Martins to study at the Dutch Design Academy instead, and opened her own atelier-shop near the Louvre in Paris, where her customers keep coming back