Affectionately known as “the Swedes,” photographer Tove Jakobsson and art director Malin Zillén form a stunning duo at Confiture Parisienne. They share a few questions about how they met, their work, and their inspirations...
Hey Tove and Malin, how did you meet? 
Tove : In 2006, we had our first daughters and met at a parent-baby day organized by a Swedish cultural center.
Malin : We had been living in France for a while, but when we had our first child, we thought it would be nice to meet other Swedish mothers for the culture, the language... But in the end, we talked a lot more about photography and creation than anything else.
Tell us about your agency?
Malin : Tove and I started our agency a year ago, and lockdown was a very creative time for us. Before that, we already worked together a lot; I often called on Tove and vice versa when her clients were looking for an art director.
We'd had shared ideas for years that we wanted to develop together, and we thought it was time. At first, we worked a lot remotely or at Tove's. I had hundreds of ideas a day, so we started putting it all together, and it ended up working well; we quickly received requests. In fact, it was in October that we met Laura and Nadège, who were looking for coworkers. Once we were set up, we became a real agency!
Tove : Yes, early 2020. Since all our other projects had been put on hold, we had time to really do what we wanted.
How would you define your style?
Tove : There's a retro feel, but at the same time, there's something fresh and modern. It's a new mix.
Malin : It's very colorful and a bit retro, let's say. We find a balance there, but we really like to create. If they don't exist, we create the objects we want to use, real effects with light if necessary, we add a few things with Photoshop.
How do you find inspiration for your projects?
Tove : We're both fans of Wes Anderson, the old packaging and the British-style school posters that used to be in classrooms.
Besides, I'm a bit detail-oriented because I always enlarge an image to 100%, it's my perfectionist side and I don't want to see any flaws, even those that people don't see. I have a hard time hearing sentences like: "Anyway, it's just for posting on Instagram, we won't see it."
Malin : Sometimes she retouches things that no one will see! But she doesn't want to do work she's not proud to put her name on.
Regarding director Wes Anderson, there's a lot of symmetry in his style, the colors are a bit vintage. We also look at old wallpapers, things you find at flea markets. I also like prints, I do a lot of them, they require time and research. We like to find the time to appreciate a piece, a lighting or a pattern.
Within the agency, who does what?
Malin : I'm an AD (art director) and illustrator. Tove is a photographer, she does retouching and also a bit of editing. Then, on the technical side, Tove is mostly in Photoshop and After Effects for everything related to lighting, etc. I'm more in the animation and drawing part. We both contribute ideas but we have our own way of adding our expertise; it's really a team effort.
Tove : We find our ideas somewhat together, even though we have two very distinct professions...
How do you integrate your influences into your creations?
Tove : We try to come up with original projects like the Bento Makeup project. We were looking for a new way to present makeup, which is always presented in a rather cold way. We thought of making a bento box, but all the objects would be makeup—a new way of showing things.
Malin : Our main characteristic is that we like to tell stories. Clients contact us because they feel the humor in our photos; we add a little fun. We do a lot of staging with food, and we will never do things because they are "pretty," we want to tell a story.
Can you tell us about a project that particularly struck you?
Tove : We were at the Grande Epicerie and there we discovered the brand Confiture Parisienne, the jars are magnificent and truly original. And so very inspired, we contacted them. Nadège replied to us within the hour! It was very motivating! We met and by chance, there was a co-working space available in the jam shop.
You collaborated with Confiture Parisienne on Juan Arbelaez's Spreadables project. The packaging has a vintage style. What inspired you?
Malin: These are old postcards that we retouched. The theme of this box was travel, and the recipes for the spreads were inspired by four different countries. That's how we came up with the idea for the postcards. They're graphic, they tell stories, and they're also a way to stay in touch with people. Nadège and Laura loved the idea.
What advice would you give to people who would like to embark on this path?
Malin : Work tirelessly even if you have another job on the side. For example, I used to do illustrations every day even though my clients weren't interested at all, and I would post them on Instagram to get feedback.
Tove : That's the advantage of social media: you can show off your work. Before, you had to make an appointment and show off your portfolio. Social media makes that easier. You also have to find your style.
How to adapt to a brand?
Tove : It comes with time, with more and more experience. It really comes with experience. I've been an assistant to a lot of photographers and I've been able to observe different ways of using light.
Malin : For me, it's the opposite. I've worked in art direction for a lot of different brands, but I've never had my own style. I was educated in the United States, and there, we had to be able to work just as well for a museum as for a soda or clothing brand. We adapt a lot; we have to find the angle the brand wants to take, and we do what they ask.
Do you have any exciting plans for the end of the year?
Tove : We have a new client, which is really motivating because it's a lot of work! Ambiance, videos, packshots, and lots of different things. We're always full of ideas, and lately we've had a lot of clients, so we don't have much time to work on our own projects.
