Block Shop:
Celebrating the
art of block
printing in India
Sisters Hopie (right) and Lily Stockman founded their textile, art, and design studio in 2013, after studying block printing in school and alongside artists in India, where their home textiles are made by hand. “The seeds of our shared creative enterprise were planted when we were kids making art in our garage,” says Hopie. It eventually took root at Block Shop, their Los Angeles-based, women-owned and -staffed business, where three of four sisters (Hopie, Lily, and Grier) now work together.
Forming a cross-
cultural creative
community
“Our textiles are printed by hand in Jaipur, using carved wooden blocks and a method known as hand block printing,” explains Hopie (shown). “Our printing partners learn this art through apprenticeships, where the skill is passed down over generations within a family.
My sister Lily and I studied block printing in school. But nothing compares to ten years of on-the-ground learning alongside artisans in India, where our textiles are made in a collaborative, familial, centuries-old process.” Block Shop employs about two dozen block carvers, printers, and dyers, but its employment benefits reach around 200 people in the community.
Drawing on a wealth of inspiration
“This collection of prints, pillows, and rugs was inspired by Cirque Calder, the whimsical wire circus created by American sculptor Alexander Calder in 1926,” says Hopie. Using undulating lines and dots, they’ve sought to bring Calder’s playfulness and kinetic energy to static patterns.
Bauhaus pioneers Anni and Josef Albers are another influence behind their geometric vernacular, explains Hopie: “Our prints express the joyful intersection of utilitarian and decorative process and celebrate the artistry of the handmade.”
The pillows are hand-printed using natural dyes on Belgian linen. For the framed artworks, Block Shop partnered with a women-run papermaking studio in Jaipur that turns cotton scraps from the apparel industry into gorgeous textured paper.
“Block Shop is an expression of our passion for the art of hand block printing and our collaborative approach to art-making.” — Hopie Stockman
Design for good
“We invest 5% of our profits in community initiatives in both India and Los Angeles by partnering with local NGOs to provide educational and healthcare resources,” says Hopie. “Our goal has always been to create an ecosystem of support and decency. Being boot-strapped means we can make decisions that are rooted in genuine human connection and the spirit of creativity, versus scale and efficiency.”
