The Art of Anthropologie: Meet the Makers Behind Our Brand

More than 25 years ago, Anthropologie opened its doors in a refurbished auto shop in Wayne, Pennsylvania. In the decades since, quite a bit has changed. We watched trends come and go (and come back again). We opened more than 200 stores, first in our own backyard, then across the world. We traveled the globe, many times over, and made new friends along the way.

But all these years later, one thing remains the same. Each and every store – from Philadelphia to Honolulu to London – is an utterly unique, handcrafted experience.

"Before working here, I actually used to visit my local Anthropologie at lunchtime," says Anthropologie Art Director Tram Pham. "I would just wander around every corner as a way to escape the mundane."

How do we do it? Easy: We hire artists – lots of them – and give them the tools and space to work their magic. Every store location has an in-house display coordinator, as well as a designated art room. On any given day, a local artist is onsite hand-dyeing paper flowers, sculpting cardboard cacti, or building custom shelves from reclaimed wood.

“We have 210 very unique stores, and 210 very uniquely talented display coordinators,” says Erika Lavinia, Anthropologie’s Display Director. “I love that their backgrounds are so varied – we have woodworkers, painters, fiber artists, and graphic designers. They each put their own twist on the store experience – it’s such a personal connection.”

Erika joined Anthropologie as an in-store display coordinator after graduating with a degree in graphic design. Today, she works at our Home Office, where her team is responsible for crafting each season’s concept. But despite being a “corporate” job, it’s still plenty hands-on – in fact, Erika tends to spend most days in our headquarters' workshop.

“Most of my art education happened at Anthropologie – you learn so much more here than you ever could in school. With very single day and every single project, you go, 'I want to make this, let me figure out how,'” she says. “When we go into supply stores to buy materials, people will try to help us and ask what type of project we’re doing. I’m like, you don’t even want to know.”

Learning on the job is common here at Anthropologie, where “the job” is ever-evolving. When Nyki Ehr joined us as an in-store intern while in college, she was surprised to learn that her sculpture thesis work was helpful in a retail environment.

“The skills I was building in the studio were so relevant to my job in the store, which I really wasn’t expecting,” she says. “To realize that there was this job where I could paint and be messy and make something every day was mind-blowing.”

After helping to create our stunning Westport, Connecticut store, Nyki joined Erika’s team at the Home Office. As she discovered while working on this season’s holiday displays, there is no typical day in this particular office.

“We spent an entire week making gigantic pom poms,” Nyki recalls. “At one point, we had a display coordinator sitting in a pile of yarn, wearing a respirator, meticulously trimming and shaping huge poms – there’s really no degree or résumé that can prepare you to make pom poms that big.”

Holiday is a team effort an Anthropologie, where numerous departments are involved in crafting a one-of-a-kind store experience. Years after spending her lunch breaks at Anthropologie, Tram created this year’s much-loved holiday shopping bag, stitch by stitch.

"It started with a simple idea: embroidering the letter A," she says. "It was a very slow process, and I was impatient to see the final results – it took about 12 hours to stitch. But it was worth it. Now that I’m on the other side and work for the brand, I would be flattered if our customer feels inspired, or if my work brings even a small amount of joy."

Tram’s team is responsible for infusing our stores with year-round, handcrafted beauty, from packaging to signs to just-because customer gifts. Led by Senior Creative Director Carolyn Keer – Anthropolgie’s first-ever Art Director, and our resident Wizard Behind the Curtain – the Art Department takes an unconventional approach to retail.

“When we first started, we said, let’s not do things the normal way,” says Carolyn. “We want to make things thoughtfully and joyfully – when you come into our store, we hope you leave happier. It’s a simple approach, but it’s unusual.”

With spring on the horizon, Erika is especially looking forward to our annual Earth Day window displays. Each year, she works with local display coordinators to craft a message about sustainability and stewardship, two personal passions that she’s excited to share while telling Anthropologie’s story.

“To me, our Earth Day windows are a chance to connect and inspire in multiple ways,” says Erika. “We can create an art moment that wows our customers, while also asking them to join us in something that’s bigger than us. To me, that's the point – to connect and inspire. It really speaks to the power of art.”


For over 25 years, Anthropologie has been committed to making things, by hand and by heart. This year, our story focuses on the artists among us – those whose imaginations and skills turn ordinary items into extraordinary objects. This is the Art of Anthropologie.