We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Em Harmsen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Em below.

Hi Em, thanks for joining us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

The idea for my design studio (emske) came about gradually after completing my undergrad in fashion design, working in the industry and then shifting years later to work in the area of tech for a bit. I worked on projects regarding digital and built environment accessibility, which led me to decide to pursue a masters degree focused on inclusive and accessible design. My increased understanding of design practices that were less exclusionary really inspired how I would build my studio. Having a chronic pain disorder myself, I wanted to create things that fit into my aesthetic but also were comfy and could be styled in multiple ways depending on how my body felt day to day. How we all live and experience our bodies is very nuanced and aiming for a “one size fits all” solution is very challenging. That’s why I am focused on slow design, creating a few products at a time and co-designing with people who have varying requests, to eventually have a collection of designs available that are inclusive and fashion focused. The inherent adaptability of the products are not meant to be the first thing that is noticeable. The overall goal of emske is to remove stigmas around accessible and inclusive design, and produce products that work for lots of body types, age ranges and abilities that are more contemporary in styling. There are services offered as well through the business that compliment the ethos of the brand. This extends the knowledge I have to other companies or brands that want to collab creatively, consult on improving accessibility or have some illustrations done in the emske vibe. I believe that the future of design will continue to incorporate more accessible and inclusive practices, so that’s why emske exists.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

From a young age, I learned to sew and was often found deconstructing a piece of clothing to rebuild it into something else. This made more sense, years later when I went to design school to pursue fashion design for my undergraduate studies. I think what sets me apart from some designers is my understanding of inclusive and accessible design. Through my graduate MA thesis work I conducted field research and certificate programs that immersed me into the world of user centred product and service design with a focus on accessibility and innovation. Having worked in diverse industry settings from retail, to fashion, to tech, I also became more aware of waste and how much of it there is across industries. This led me to learn about slow fashion and environmentally responsible practices. The connection of adaptability, eco-consciousness and my personal aesthetic vision is what gets incorporated together in my designs. My design studio offers products and services that aim to fill the gaps that exist surrounding contemporary and stylish offerings that happen to also be mindful of accessibility and inclusion. I am really proud of how far this little dream has come, from imagining how it could exist while sitting at a desk job, to immersing myself into research as a grad student to putting things into practice and collaborating with clients as an entrepreneur. And I’m extra grateful to be able to share about it as it continues to develop (:

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

It’s rewarding as a creative professional to be able to share your vision to the world. The challenging part is sometimes finding the right avenue/medium/outlet to do so, but when your work gets out there, it’s a great feeling. I have so many ideas all the time that I want to bring to life, so when everything falls into place and happens, it can feel like magic. A type of magic that can sometimes take years, but that adds to the rewarding aspect when the time comes.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think that sometimes it can be hard to understand what goes into a creative practice. Despite it often being something that feels innate to the creative individual, it can also be draining and resource intensive for them at times. Sharing creative projects can also be vulnerable and personal in a way that other types of work are not. Many creative roles, especially entrepreneurial ones are not structured in traditional ways which can lead to burn out easily as it is hard to know how to “turn off” and balance everything. This can be said about many jobs, but it’s also true for creative roles too.

Contact Info:

• Website: emske.ca
• Instagram: instagram.com/___emske/
• Linkedin: ca.linkedin.com/company/emske-design-studio
• Other: email: [email protected]

Image Credits
All image credits: emske, design studio