Scandinavian born Lotta Anderson's label doesn't just carry her name (dotter means "daughter" in Swedish, and her father's name is Jan) — it reflects an entire lifestyle. From her beloved medium of screen printing, strongly rooted in Scandinavia, to the earthy color schemes and neutral fabrics she uses, Lotta's designs tell her story.

Nature is ever present in Lotta's linens, stationary and ceramics, largely revealing the four seasons of her childhood's Åland, an island between Sweden and Finland. But equally present is the urban sleek, the shapes and colors from her many travels to places like Oporto, Portugal, to Marfa, Texas, or Tokyo, Japan. To help keep track of her impressions she carries a "visual journal". There have been a total of seven of these sketchbooks since Lotta Anderson launched her label, filled to the rim with seedpods, menus, pieces of fabric, drawings — whatever makes her tick. The books have become Lotta's personal library, something to fall back on for inspiration in design as well as business.

Lotta first moved to California at age 20. She enrolled in various art classes at a community college in search of the perfect creative career. The day she tried screen-printing, everything fell into place: This was what she wanted to do. A naturally driven entrepreneurial spirit, Lotta saw no reason to stay in school, and dropped out immediately.

Experimenting and self teaching naturally lead Lotta to launching her company. Working out of her small San Francisco apartment in 1996, she quickly establishing a local following. Her styles soon caught the attention of design-savvy consumers in Japan, where she launched her own line of products a year later. She soon became something of a design star in Japan, featured in lifestyle books, how-to-books and as a guide on shopping tours to Scandinavia and San Francisco.

In 2002, the Lotta Jansdotter studio and storefront opened in Nob Hill, San Francisco. Through her studio, web site and hundreds of stores across the world carrying her designs, Lotta firmly established her label on the US and international market in the years to follow.

2006 was a year of change for Lotta Anderson. She re-located both herself and the business to the east coast in an effort to be closer to her native Åland and Sweden, settling in Brooklyn, New York. A new larger studio was opened in the bustling and creative neighbourhood of Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, the space reflecting the genuine feel of Lotta Jansdotter with its vintage brick walls and inviting fireplace. In addition, Lotta finished working on no less than 3 books; a hands-on book about sewing projects and one about printing techniques for the American market, as well as a book about sewing published in Japan. Lotta Jansdotter also started featuring a baby line, which will be further expanded due to its great popularity.

In short, Lotta Anderson's strong new world entrepreneurial spirit equals constant expansion and change. But she is determined to maintain her old world ideals of running an intimate, grounded and highly personal design label.