BLANDAT Studio
CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS
Debby van der Veer-Boer
is a Dutch designer and founder of BLANDAT, a label featuring maximalist prints for clothing and interiors, in 2013.
Following her graduation from KABK art school in The Hague, The Netherlands, Debby worked in a range of different industries and disciplines, including television, graphic design & illustration, and the clothing industry, where she gained experience in design, production, and marketing.
After moving to Johannesburg, South Africa, with her family in 2012, Debby decided to blend all of all the disciplines that she’d mastered throughout her career and started her own label. In founding BLANDAT, she developed a creative company in which the garments and products were meant to feature prints and patterns in an artistic spotlight, functioning as mutable, wearable canvases for her designs. In 2021, she moved back to Europe and continued BLANDAT there, working closely with local suppliers to keep sustainability a top priority for the brand.
Where you can find BLANDAT
What are your earliest memories involving flowers?
My dad loves gardening, as he inherited it from my grandmother. Every year, she’d take her flower bulbs out of her garden and dry them for winter, and then in the spring they would be planted again. Those bulbs lived for 30 years – and sometimes longer – as my father then took them from my grandmother’s garden to care for them when she passed.
My other grandmother had a fuschia obsession, so whenever we would visit her, we’d give her a new fuschia for her collection.
Can you share a bit about the flowers & botanicals that grow in places you’ve lived?
Living in the Netherlands, you’re always surrounded by tulips and flower fields in the spring. When I moved with my family to South Africa, it was a whole different ball game, as the previous owners of the house we bought had created a breathtaking botanical garden that bloomed all year round. It had giant strelitzia (my favorite), hibiscus, and wild bromeliads, and the amount of succulents, including aloe and cacti, gave it a desert-like Palm Springs vibe.
My interest in flowers and plants truly began during my time in South Africa, where the climate lends itself to growing one’s “happy place.” Waking up and seeing greenery and a blue sky puts me in a positive mood each day.
What were some of the major points along the trajectory of your botanical-related work?
I went to art school, but had no interest in florals at all at that time. I never drew them or had floral prints in my house. Once I started BLANDAT and researched what people like and what sells best, I trained myself to draw – to see and play with the artwork of creating florals and use them for my patterns.
What drives your creativity, and where do you find inspiration for your botanical patterns and color palettes?
I’m driven by the urge to create and make something that’s fresh – something that’s not seen in every store or other markets. My creations are always a bit “off” and often stand out from the other prints that are available.
Whether it’s the scale, the composition, or the colors, there has to be a slight surprise in my patterns. I always love to combine a floral print together with a geometric element that has nothing to do with the botanical elements, creating a different flow. I like it when you can see the actual pencil strokes in my patterns – even though I eventually create the flow of the patterns on my computer, I want the hand-drawn artistic elements to stand out so that the overall feel of the print isn’t too flat.
Image by Michael Oliver Love
What kinds of flowers do you include in your designs?
I include all types of flowers, but I do like the ones that are a bit odd. Anything from roses and sunflowers to peonies might be part of a design. It also depends on what shape I need for a pattern and the story that needs to be told, as the symbolism of a particular flower is often part of what I use to create a specific story.
All of my prints have a story, an extra layer. They don’t have to be obvious, but I need a story to be part of what I’m creating. Otherwise, I’d only be making pretty things, which can sometimes feel shallow.
What are the non-negotiables for your creative workspace?
A closed door, pencils, silence, and an internet connection.
“Trust your own vision –
the more people you ask for opinions,
the more distracted you get trying to please others.”
How & when did BLANDAT get started?
In 2013, we moved to Johannesburg, South Africa, and I wasn’t able to work there without a permit. So all my previous jobs and skills came together when I started BLANDAT, as I wanted to make my illustrations available for a more commercial market.
I was also inspired by African wax cloth fabrics, as many women in Johannesburg often dressed in colorful patterned outfits with matching headwraps and cloth to carry their babies. The printed fabrics had color and meanings shared by salespeople at the local markets, all of which inspired me to forge a new path and create very different kinds of prints!
Tell us a bit about the philosophy behind naming your company BLANDAT.
It means “mixed” or “blended” in Swedish. Combining techniques, color, meanings – since I create patterns like a collage, the name fits perfectly! It blends itself into a final product, a piece.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given that’s helped shape your work?
Trust your own vision – the more people you ask for opinions, the more distracted you get in trying to please others. If you’re in a creative discipline, you can be part of innovating new pathways - but you won’t get there by just following what other people do. Not everything you do will work out, but you learn a lot through every step you take, regardless of whether something succeeds or fails. I’ve made things that are just pretty and obvious, but anyone can do that, and lots of people can probably do it better than I can!
What’s been the most surprising reaction to your work?
That people love it! It makes me really feel good – every time I hear that, I get surprised by it again. Yesterday I got a message from a friend who sells my products. A lady came into her store, tried one of my dresses on, bought it, and stepped out in the dress feeling amazing!
Another woman sent me a picture of a dress she bought from me and then saved for her wedding day – it was so special to me to get that! I love when people send me their photos featuring my designs – it really is special to see that someone just loves what you're doing! Being in a creative role can often feel a bit lonely when you primarily focus on your work. Getting this feedback just makes me glow.
Image by Barwerd van der Plas
What does abundance mean to you?
Joy, happiness, and positivity. Plants, greenery, and flowers make me feel comfortable and happy.
Images by Tarryn Francis
Image by Barwerd van der Plas
What advice would you share with others who are beginning to develop their creative styles?
Experiment with different styles and techniques. That’s the way you’ll grow – instead of just copying & pasting your best design, try to get out of your comfort zone.
All image credits: Debby van der Veer-Boer, unless otherwise noted
Handpicked
A few of Debby’s favorites…
Favorite flowers
Strelitzias, orchids, and weird & exotic flowers.
Favorite season
Summer.
Favorite floral patterns
My all-time favorite is a classic: William Morris. I love the classics a lot! On a product, I can just see my garments in the context of a fully patterned interior room. That is my main goal.
Current color obsessions
The combination of purple, red, and orange. I just find it delicious.
Favorite botanical destinations
My previous garden in South Africa! It had huge cacti that were there for 50-plus years, big flowering aloe, a dessert grape, and more. I was so happy there. Hornbill, hoopoe, hummingbirds, and many other birds would always visit us in our garden, making it feel like a true fairytale.
On weekends, we’d often visit an actual botanical garden in the area. Though every time we went there, we’d come back home with the feeling we had a better garden at home – the only thing missing in ours was a real waterfall :)
Thank you so much, Debby!
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