Färjil

Färjil and the search for untraditional beauty

TEXT: LINNEA DUNNE | PHOTOS © FÄRJIL

Their collection includes anatomy, animal skulls, octopus’ tails and, most importantly, beauty brought from the most unexpected places. Lennart Tillander and Josefine Wallander of Färjil are passionate about customer service, finding motifs in the wild and raw, and creating special, but also affordable, jewellery.

“We are fascinated by anatomy, animals, and nature, and this has inspired us to create this, perhaps not so traditionally beautiful, collection. We keep our eyes open for new motifs all the time; when you are passionate about something it’s hard to turn it off,” laughs Wallander.

Färjil keeps the products close to nature, and they are always up for new interesting motifs. “When we first start a new project, or create a new piece of jewellery, we draw the motif to make sure it looks good from all angles. All our jewellery is three-dimensional, and it is important that it works. That’s why we spend so much time doing research. We often go to the forest to seek inspiration. A bug, the pattern on a piece of wood, leaves – it can all be part of our work,” says Tillander.

A special bond with the customer

Färjil’s products are indeed exciting and beautiful, which leaves you wanting more. “Many of our customers get back to us saying how impressed they are with the work, that there’s more to it than what they could originally see in the picture. We don’t have a physical shop; it’s all online, so we are entirely grateful that our customers keep in touch and let us know what they think about it.”

Färjil’s customer contact is very special, and this is because of their broad, but interesting clientele. Tillander explains: “Our jewellery attracts rockers, scientists, and bird watchers, but also people that have had injuries or illnesses connected to one of the body parts in our anatomy collection. One girl, who had a bad kidney, told us that she proudly carried her kidney necklace everywhere. We have also received post, actual letters, from the other side of the world saying how happy customers are with the products. One time it was especially sweet, because we’d had contact online all the way through their purchase, but they wanted to send a proper letter to thank us. Sometimes we receive x-rays that show where our customers have had an injury or illness. We have also had customers who’ve given one of our products as a thank you to a doctor – it is an amazing thing to be a part of.”

Beautiful anatomy

The creatives behind Färjil are often asked to create tailor-made jewellery, and sometimes they can. “We were once asked to design a sphenoid bone: a small bone in the human skull, and it took us a long time to get it right. But we managed, and now it is one of our most popular products,” says Tillander. But the best-seller is, unsurprisingly, the anatomic heart. “It sells the best. It’s a strong symbol, and a bit different because it is so detailed – so it has become one of our favourites too,” explains Wallander.

The anatomy collection is powerful and can give strength to people in need as well as connect people who are far apart, and Wallander knows exactly why she thinks anatomy is so fascinating. “The body is like a machine. All the little bits and pieces work together to help our body. And if you break it down, there are more little bits and pieces that create another piece of machinery. You can continue like this until you’re on a micro level, where you can find even more beauty.”

True companions

Tillander and Wallander met at art school and soon became a couple. In 2013, the idea of Färjil came to life, and they became business companions. “We complete each other. We are a good mix of marketing, creativity, business savvy and ambition.”

In the future, the couple hope to open a physical shop, and a foundry, where they can meet their customers in person. “It would be great if we could have our own foundry. Right now, we only have a workshop where we can create our pewter products, but we have to send our silver designs to Scotland where they are cast. It would be amazing to be able to do it ourselves. We could have people visiting so they can see how much work actually goes into creating these pieces.”

Next year, Färjil is expanding and will start making a bronze collection. “Up until now, we have focused on so-called cold metal, like pewter and silver, but we have had a lot of requests asking if we can create some warmer designs, and this is what we will be doing next year,” says Wallander.


Website: farjil.com

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