What was the main idea behind this year’s illustration, and what feeling did you want to create?

“I wanted to capture the feeling of Christmas shopping as something cosy, beautiful and social – far away from the stress that might be a little more realistic for many of us.”

How did the KKNEKKI pop-up in Amsterdam inspire the illustration?

“I really wanted to draw a close-up of a shop, with the inside on one side and a cosy Christmas street outside. Once we decided that Amsterdam was the right setting for this year, it felt almost obvious that the KKNEKKI pop-up should inspire the shop.”

The original pop-up was set in one of Amsterdam’s characteristic historic buildings, but Signe took the interior even further back in time.

“I imagined the shop as being from a time when shopping was perhaps something you did less often, when the things you bought were highly valued and shops were more specialised. So this is simply a KKNEKKI speciality shop, just like the pop-up. I also really wanted to use the calendar drawers as actual drawers within the illustration for maximum effect. That was so much fun to work with!”

This year, the connection between the illustration and what’s hidden inside the calendar is closer than ever. A selection of KKNEKKI colors became the starting point for Signe’s palette, inspiring everything from the Amsterdam houses to the smallest details in the scene.

“I have an incredible amount of art supplies in my studio, so I started by pulling out everything I had in those particular colors and choosing the materials that worked best together. I even mixed paints and inks to get enough of the shades I needed most. To make sure I wasn’t tempted to sneak in any other colors, I had to put everything else away!”

Behind the drawers, you’ll find 41 carefully selected KKNEKKI hair ties – 30 Regular and 11 Slim – in a curated mix of brand-new colors and favorites from our existing collection, all inspired by this year’s artwork. Hidden among them is also an exclusive, specially made KKNEKKI bundle created only for the 2026 Advent Calendar, which will not be available to purchase separately.

Over the years, the KKNEKKI Advent Calendar has become something many look forward to collecting each Christmas. For Signe, that makes the project particularly special.

“I think it’s really, really lovely. Creating the KKNEKKI calendars is genuinely a dream job for me, and having that many people enjoy them means a lot. A fun fact is that when I was little, I used to draw big calendars like this all the time. KKNEKKI didn’t know that when they first asked me to create one, so it feels a little meant to be.”