Hannah Learner is the founder of Rhinne, a textile brand offering fabric & wallpaper prints inspired by vintage designs from the archives of 20th-century mills. A former fashion director and lifelong vintage collector, Hannah opened Rhinne in 2023 to celebrate slow design & longevity in a world of fast-paced trends. The brand aims to honor lesser-known forebears of textile design & tell the stories behind their works. The brand name (rhymes with kin) comes from the family surname “Rinne,” plus a silent “h” nodding to “Hannah.” Learn more about Hannah Learner and her textiles in today’s Maker Monday.
Discover the timeless allure of Botanico Fabric – a clever blend of styles, featuring a unique & versatile speckled botanical print inspired by the archives of Farkas-Ortenzi, a renowned textile design studio in Como, Italy during the 1960s-70s.
Andrew Joseph: How would you define your work in three words?
Hannah Learner: Vintage made new. I create patterns for fabric & wallpaper inspired by designs from vintage archives. My goal is to honor the inspirations & tell their stories from the past, while updating them with an approachable context that’s playful & new. I use clean color & style with a sense of humor to lend humanity to these very old designs.
AJ: What was your first job?
HL: When I was 16, I worked at Carvel decorating ice cream cakes with custom messages. I made myself a hot fudge sundae during every shift! I don’t think I’ll find a job with those perks again. . .
Megaflora Fabric embraces the foliage of nature. The fabric is a lively vintage floral inspired by Cyrus Clark Company’s 1970s archives.
AJ: If you weren’t a designer, you’d be a ….?
HL: If I wasn’t a designer, I’d be a museum curator or an archivist. I never get tired of re-discovering art and antiques in libraries, flea markets, and attics! Old objects give me a window into the past, and a sense of perspective on the fast pace of modern life. It is so easy to be constantly distracted by what’s new every second, so I find research into older, slower times to be very still & grounding.
AJ: You’re the newest Crayola color. What color are you and why?
HL: Oh I’d be Guimard Green – the color of the ironwork on Paris metro stations designed by Hector Guimard. This green is no municipal neutral. It’s an imaginative, timeless color that reminds me not to play it too safe.
Mist is a subtle monotone print that creates an illusion of texture. The inspiration comes from the archives of Taroni Disegni, textile house of Como, Italy in the 1970s.
AJ: If you could live in any home in a movie, what would it be?
HL: That’s easy – I would live in the ivy-covered Italian villa from Call Me By Your Name that is the main character Elio’s home.
AJ: What’s a new hobby/skill that you have learned recently?
HL: During the pandemic, I had some time to learn upholstery craft- via YouTube, of all places! Most of the furniture you see in Rhinne’s photography are vintage pieces I upholstered myself. The work is very physical & tiring at times, but I love to use my hands & have constructive projects going.
About the Maker | RHINNE (rhymes with kin) is a boutique home textile collection that aims to inspire meaningful, collected, and joy-inducing spaces with unique prints, optimistic color, and reuse of old with new. Our work is a celebration of master craftsmanship and timeless vintage design. The source documents for these designs were all meticulously drafted and painted by hand, by master craftsmen from the pre-digital age. We aim to celebrate this lost craft of slow design, tell the stories behind these artworks, and connect the past with the present.
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