Fab 40: Samare, Montreal

Canada

The headquarters of design collective Samare are located in Montreal’s downtown core but the age-old weaving techniques that form the basis of their practice are derived from the rural regions of Eastern Canada.

Native tribes and early French settlers intricately interlaced a resilient cord made from cured caribou hide called Babiche to make snowshoes for fur trappers and hunters. Adapting the ingenuity of the past, Samare replicates this process in both traditional and contemporary materials to produce enduring pieces such as their signature Paddle Bench.

The brightly coloured Surface Fléchée blanket with its distinct flame and arrow pattern is similarly influenced by the decorative belts worn by "les habitants" to keep fur coats tightly closed in sub-zero temperatures.

www.samare.ca

20 October 2009 | Design