“Not all evil comes to harm,” sector professionals said to themselves, taking part in the latest edition of Paris Déco Off from 23 to 27 March, instead of the usual January slot that was skipped due to the pandemic. The new collections of some of the most important makers of textile editions in Europe (and elsewhere) made their appearance on fine spring days, almost like taking a vacation. Here are some of the exhibits that caught our eye.
For Dedar, a voyage that reinterprets the great archetypes of textiles, with references to the history of art and lifestyle: Kyllikki, printed on satin, suggests the gestures of abstract painting, tempered in a cascade of flowers. Instead, John Kelly 1763, with its ombré stripes on 100% wool, is a take on English 18th-century fabrics.
Vivacious themes for Pierre Frey: Egypt, the Ballets Russes, and Paris in the early 20th century, including two collaborations with important archives (those of Yves Klein and the Louvre). One of the maison’s new creations is a collection of vividly printed carpeting: what was once taboo becomes trend.
Pop inspirations for Jean-Paul Gaultier, showing the Autour du Monde, a collection of outdoor fabrics and wallpapers, at Lelièvre, with motifs like Mesaï, in which the camouflage pattern forms a hybrid with the Japanese tradition. Also at Lelièvre, the Résonance collection revisited and reinvented several classics: like Ikati, a digital-print linen suggesting oriental graphics.
Glamorous highlights at Métaphores, with transparency and metallic details. Fever (silk + polyamide), iridescent and translucent, suggests the atmosphere of a nightclub in a totally disco spirit. While the Divine jacquard (recycled cotton + polyester), stitched with gold threads, has a compact texture interrupted by an almost electrical sheen.
For Rubelli, the mood was immediately set by two large panels of Magico Mexico fabric by Gabriel Pacheco, welcoming visitors: a collection full of exotic plants, variegated (also imaginary) fauna, expanses of flowers where a chamomile meadow becomes a pattern. A contemporary and imperceptibly high-tech version of a great classic, Toile de Jouy.
The title of the collection presented by Sahco is Evoke. The references are many, blended together with a light touch, so that even macro-designs like the figures inspired by the drawings of Cocteau in Murale, or the marbled effects of Brancusi (both drapery fabrics) seem almost minimal.
Fromental, a manufacturer of wallpapers, presented its patterns in the setting of an apartment overlooking a garden in the heart of Saint-Germain: the home of Marta Sala, the brilliant maker of design editions. With a stimulating dialogue between furnishings and wallcoverings, like Ombré (in very light silk) utilized in the living area.
With creative direction by Ariane Dalle, Elitis presented a collection of fabrics (as well as wallpapers) divided into eight themes. They include Milano, referencing 20th-century buildings by Piero Portaluppi and Gio Ponti, and Craft Chic, inspired by historic Italian palaces, with an idea of craftsmanship rendered contemporary by the splendor of aged gold and the gestural impact of dense, materic brushstrokes.
