Christmas in Paradise
Sam Wilde collaborated with Svenskt Tenn to create Fruits of Eden, a Christmas collection culminating in the colourful textile print Hubris Tree, eight glass baubles and a star topper inspired by Hawaiian flowers.
Fruits of Eden debuted in November 2019 at Svenskt Tenn's flagship store in central Stockholm. The collection went on to receive much acclaim, and at the time, was the largest Christmas release in the company's 95 year old history.
Hubris Tree
The pattern Hubris Tree is an homage to Josef Frank’s Vegetable Tree and Hawaii prints, with its endlessly branching motif and tropical island foliage.
The illustration style alludes to a more personal side of Frank, referencing the early stages of his creative process, where he would map out his repeats in watercolour. Careful attention has been paid to replicate the intimacy of Frank’s brushstrokes, with each section of Hubris Tree also having been individually painted.
Fruits of Eden
Bringing life to eight fruits from the Hubris Tree pattern became a way to continue the collection. Each bauble has been hand-blown and painted by a team of talented glass artisans. And like the actual fruits of Eden, they're meant to be irresistibly enticing, bold in colour and bursting with flavour.
The four Tomato, Lemon, Gooseberry and Orange baubles are reimagined versions of fruits from Josef Frank's original patterns, with the remaining four Watermelon, Muskmelon, Pineapple and Durian baubles based-off signature fruits from Sam Wilde's worlds.
Star of Eden
The Star of Eden completes the collection and the transformation of the Christmas tree into the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
The outer detail forms the silhouette of a snowflake, with leaves sprouting out between points representing the sun’s rays. The central petals are an homage to the flowers depicted in Frank’s Hawaii pattern. And finally, hidden in the centre there are symbols depicting the earth, moon and stars.
