The curated shelving spanning the entire length of Ulla Johnson’s Manhattan office wall is captivating. “Oh my goodness, I built all this before we lived in a time of Zoom, but now it comes in handy,” she says, turning around and admiring her backdrop.
Jam-packed with ceramics, books and objet d’art, it provides a fascinating window into the world of the designer, whose love of art, literature and travel continues to influence her globally informed collections. But despite travelling extensively and continually employing the skills of artisans from around the world, Ulla’s fashion shows are purely New York-centric.
Since the pandemic, which she’d rather not mention but does so for context, she’s felt an increasing need to embrace the city. “I’ve taken it upon myself to champion New York and its cultural centres,” she explains.
“I’m from New York and have such an affinity for the city and guess in times of turbulence
