There is something quietly radical about a handkerchief.
Illustrator Kimberly Ellen Hall has been designing colourful cotton hankies that do more than take care of your nose. They bring a pop of colour to your pocket, reduce disposable waste, and inject a little humour into the colder months.
At a time when single-use tissues fill bins and winter colds leave skin irritated and red, Hall’s reusable fabric hankies offer a softer, more sustainable alternative. Printed with animals and inspiring or irreverent sayings, they carry warmth in more ways than one.
For the past two years, Hall has been bringing her hankies to fairs and markets across the UK, where they have received an enthusiastic response. The designs grow directly from her daily sketchbook practice. Since 2022, she has drawn every day, allowing animals, words and small observations from life to surface naturally. Cats, dogs, horses, rats and the occasional monster appear with conspiratorial glances or wry commentary.
“I like to draw animals because I think humans desperately want to relate to and understand animals but they are always a mystery in some ways. I think not-knowing is a powerful force that is underused.”
That sense of mystery and humour translates beautifully onto cotton. Each hankie feels like a small artwork that happens to be useful.
Sustainability sits at the core of her practice. Choosing a reusable hankie means fewer disposable tissues and less waste in the bin. It also means embracing an object that can last for years, ageing gently with use.
“The world is full of material goods these days, so it’s important to me to make things responsibly, whether that means things that are missing from the market or things made of other things.”
Hall’s approach extends beyond hankies. She applies her illustrations to risograph cards, repurposed tins, and papier-mâché clocks and vases, always thinking about surface, object and responsible production. The hankies are part of a wider practice that considers how everyday items can be both playful and considered.
Kimberly Ellen Hall is a multidisciplinary artist working at the intersection of surface and object, with a focus on sustainability, socially responsive design and community practice. Her work has been recognised by American Illustration and the Society of Publication Designers, and featured in Cool Hunting, Design Milk and Dwell. She has completed residencies at the Johns Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute and the Winterthur Museum and Garden, and has created public murals in Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and the UK.
With these cotton squares, she reminds us that even the smallest objects can carry personality, purpose and care. A hankie might seem modest, but in the right hands, it becomes a thoughtful act of design.
ARTIST LINKS:
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