Multiple recent posts on this site have praised interior design fairs and events where innovative products and projects are taking centre stage. So, while in the past we wondered if it was possible for fashion shows to meet again interior design and generate interesting links and collaborations between the two disciplines, at the moment the question has naturally changed into a very different one - can interior design save fashion?
Undoubtedly, the fashion industry is not enjoying good health and there seems to be a lingering confusion about fashion shows, men/womenswear collections and the "see now buy now" frenzy, all contributing to generate creative short circuits in the designers' minds. Maybe interior design could save fashion: let's think for example about the ongoing collaboration between Belgian designer Raf Simons and Danish Kvadrat, manufacturer of interior design fabrics.
Known for its collaborations with a wide range of artists, architects and designers (among them also Hella Jongerius, Patricia Urquiola, and Paul Smith), Kvadrat seems to have given to Simons, who departed Dior last October after a three-and-a-half-year tenure, the chance to slow down his creative rhythms while rediscovering his original training as an industrial furniture designer.
While in the past Simons appreciated the faster pace of fashion, as he grew older he learnt to appreciate the rewards of slower thinking and manufacturing processes. Designing interior design fabrics is indeed not a rush job and you may end up creating one or two collections a year for an interior design company as opposed to eight collections of garments a year for a well-established fashion house.
In previous collections Simons often included in his designs upholstery fabrics, especially for outerwear, but he also understands that thicker fashion textiles can be applied to interior design by slightly re-adapting certain weaving processes.
In March Simons launched his third collection for Kvadrat: his new textiles Reflex, Pulsar and Fuse are inspired by Modernist furniture, Pop and contemporary art, fashion textiles and music. The textiles are characterised by bold striped motifs in a modern palette including cobalt blue and flaming red, sharp lemon yellow and powder pink as well as a range of greys and neutral tones.
The collection was launched with a special exhibition in Galerie Thomas Schulte in Berlin that featured the iconic Poltrona Seggiovia, a hanging chairlift seat by neo-rationalist architect and designer Franco Albini (originally created for the Milan Triennale in 1940) covered in Simons' bright yellow and orange striped fabrics.
Simons loved this design and the original striped upholstery of Albini's chairs inspired him the main motifs for his new collection for Kvadrat. The company went therefore as far as asking (and obtaining...) exclusive permission by the Fondazione Franco Albini to reproduce the chairs with the new fabrics.
Simons seems to be happier when involved in such projects that in many ways prove that the relentless pace of fashion is killing creativity and enthusiasm. Will Simons combine art, architecture and interior design in his S/S 17 menswear collection presentation (with a special project included) at Pitti Uomo this June? We will discover it in a few weeks (the presentation is on 16th June).
For the time being, what's for sure is that interior design research and textile projects can provide a break and an antidote against the relentless pace of fashion, currently producing piles of forgettable collections: the rhythms may be radically different and, while it may take months or even years to develop one amazing interior design product, quite often clever pieces make history, turning into iconic designs worthy of being displayed in prestigious museums and institutions.
Member of the Boxxet Network of Blogs, Videos and Photos
Comments