What is ‘Fölkel’?

Sitting down to think of what I wanted to call my business started with writing down what I wanted my brand to represent; craft, slow movements, textures, folklore, stitching, summer grass, autumn leaves, storytelling.

As well as feeling like I wanted a brand that was outside of myself, I also wanted some of my own identity embedded into it as a way to discover who I am, and what is important to me. So came a portmanteau of ‘folk’ and ‘Ellie’ to create Fölkel!

Once I had made this decision, I did some research on the word and it’s existing meanings and found an excerpt online that really resonated with me

"Folkel" doesn't appear to be a standard word in English, but its meaning depends on context; it could be a misspelling of the Danish word folkelig (meaning "of the people" or "public"), or it might refer to folklore or a folktale, which are traditions, stories, and culture passed down by a group of people.

As well as finding out about its German origins:

Fölkel is an occupational surname for a small tradesman or a laborer in a rural community. Historically, people who bore this name were humble and modest, and often did a different kind of work than the people around them.

This solidified my decision, and meant my brand could begin to grow as an exploration of creative processes, a curiosity to learn about histories and traditions and give substance and narrative to my work that will resonate with others too.