The new “graphic-luxe” Rotem Limited Edition line by graphic designer R. Jean Roth has been a work in progress this past year, resulting in an invitation to The Artisan Group, an exclusive, juried organization of crafters and designers whose mission is to introduce Hollywood to the best of the handcrafted movement.

The invitation was a golden opportunity the former intercultural marketing professional would not have envisioned when she first harnessed her creative energies to become an independent entrepreneur after being laid-off early in the economic downturn in 2003. As demand for her design services grew, Roth expanded her graphic design company into a graphic pop culture t-shirt line that receives orders from customers around the world.

In a departure from that quirky, pop culture fashion, however, the brand new Rotem Limited Edition artisan line envisions garments as canvases, and consists of an ever-changing limited inventory of scarves, cardigans, drape jackets and fashion tops. Currently focusing on local botanical designs, Roth uses her own photography to extract what she sees as the “essence” of the photograph's subject, whether a flower, branch, or fruit.

“We experiment with the inks we use to achieve different effects, resulting in a translucent, graceful, print that evokes Zen paintings in its elegant simplicity, “ Roth says. With fabrics varying in type and in color from rich, saturated pima to neutrals, each type of garment responds differently to the inks in density and texture, producing different effects in the artwork.

The nod to Asian artistic influence is no accident. Roth's academic and professional background focused on Japanese language and culture. Artisan scarves and tops from the line have been gifted to celebrities such as Mariska Hargitay, Marcia Cross, Sarah Jessica Parker, Christina Hendricks and Ginnifer Goodwin.