Raf Simons offers a softer touch with new fabrics for Kvadrat
Raf Simons on the homely spirit of his seventh textile drop with Danish company Kvadrat
![Pair of images showing shapes upholstered in Kvadrat/Raf Simons textiles in red, blue, white and black](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KXDcgVJ3CTbSTB2fBXu3HB-415-80.jpg)
‘I hoover now these days, a lot,’ says Raf Simons over the phone, each of us speaking from home. We’re discussing our domestic activities during these different and uncertain times. By chance, home is key to the Belgian fashion designer’s latest launch with Danish brand Kvadrat – two new textiles that exude a concert of comfort and cosiness.
‘They give me so much depth and time to develop things which I definitely relate to,’ says Simons fondly, reflecting on when Kvadrat CEO Anders Byriel proposed the collaboration to him. Kvadrat’s deadlines were somewhat different to his experiences in fashion – he got over a year to develop the first collection in 2014.
A slow and steady pace describes Simons’s latest collection with Kvadrat well – two new lines titled Helia and Silas. ‘I said that I would like to make a little switch in the feel of the fabric,’ Simons explains of his approach to this range. Previous collections have showcased dynamic juxtaposition in colours, and build on the historic techniques of Kvadrat. ‘For this collection I said I would like to stretch it out now and add elements of tactility and surface, physically as well as visually.’ The result is two textiles that have a thicker warp, are highly textured and soothing to hold.
Home, now more than ever, is an integral part of Simon’s life. ‘The home is a place where I can slow the whole thing down. More and more I think about functionality, calmness and privacy.’ Simons particularly sees homeliness in the Silas fabric, and the velvety, slightly rippled texture that is ‘not too pristine and clean. I wanted to [create] something that feels like you have been living with it for a long time.’
Simon’s mind went to furs, bouclé and cashmeres for inspiration too. ‘I was thinking about my time at Jil Sander back in the day. It was a daily thing to work with cashmeres, and the brand was into the idea of comfort and luxury, not only literally but also in a kind of feeling sense.’ Helia is bouclé textile that is woven to resemble the fur texture, with a patterned effect, while Silas has a cotton wool-style surface, achieved though several days of unraveling and beating.
‘One of the things I’m most interested and obsessed with is colour,’ Simons expresses when discussing the palette choice. Compared to the brightness and bichrome intensity of previous ranges, the colours for these two new ranges are solid, warm and earthy. ‘There is also a couple of teddy bear colours,’ Simons mentions of the biscuit tones.
With these two textiles, Simons was eager to hone in on human feel, and how our bodies interact with them, a technical challenge for the Kvadrat lab that was achieved seamlessly, especially with Silas – Simons muses, ‘effectively it looks like a kind of cosy warm cashmere coat.’
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Sujata Burman is a writer and editor based in London, specialising in design and culture. She was Digital Design Editor at Wallpaper* before moving to her current role of Head of Content at London Design Festival and London Design Biennale where she is expanding the content offering of the showcases. Over the past decade, Sujata has written for global design and culture publications, and has been a speaker, moderator and judge for institutions and brands including RIBA, D&AD, Design Museum and Design Miami/. In 2019, she co-authored her first book, An Opinionated Guide to London Architecture, published by Hoxton Mini Press, which was driven by her aim to make the fields of design and architecture accessible to wider audiences.
-
Feel at home at Auberge, Château La Coste's new inn for culture lovers
Auberge La Coste sits at the heart of the art-filled estate, minutes away from the joyful town of Aix-en-Provence
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
This Nova Lima apartment is a Brazilian family oasis with striking Minas Gerais views
A Nova Lima apartment designed by Jacobsen Arquitetura celebrates its long, natural Minas Gerais vistas
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Commune’s sustainable personal care products look ‘quite unlike anything else’
Commune’s Somerset-made products stand out in the sustainable skincare crowd. Madeleine Rothery speaks with the brand’s co-founders Kate Neal and Rémi Paringaux
By Madeleine Rothery Published
-
Skateboards, rocking horses and a giant octopus: Kvadrat invites designers to consider the potential of textiles
Through Kvadrat ReThink, 12 designers explore the meaning of responsible design through the Danish brand's library of recycled, regenerative, and circular materials
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Lighting by Ladies & Gentlemen Studio is inspired by sunlight filtered through clouds
Ladies & Gentlemen Studio launches new lighting collections at 3 Days of Design 2024 in Copenhagen, using textiles by Kvadrat and Sahco
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Patricia Urquiola and Kvadrat create the world’s first upholstery textile made of 100% ocean-bound plastic
Named Best Recycled Material at the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2024, Patricia Urquiola’s Sport textile for Kvadrat was created in collaboration with Swiss specialist #tide
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Dahn Vo presents his new Kvadrat curtains through an installation in his Berlin apartment
We visit artist Dahn Vo's Berlin apartment to discover his 'Trapped in heaven' collection of Kvadrat curtains featuring translucent calligraphy
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Art, artefacts and Armani Casa: step into our Made in Italy showcase
In this photographic series, we combine Armani Casa’s timeless furniture collections with Italian art and rare artefacts to tell the story of Made in Italy craftsmanship
By Nick Vinson Published
-
Playful design codes rule in this London Victorian family home
2LG Studio embraces colour and comfort in an extensive renovation of a Victorian family home
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Design at the White House: the creatives working with US Presidents past and present
Interior designers, fashion designers and artists, whose collaborators have included the White House and its residents, with commissions that range from interior refits to presidential portraits
By Pei-Ru Keh Published
-
Essx store opens in New York’s Lower East Side
Essx is a new concept and community store by local architecture firm Leong Leong and designer Yossi Shetrit
By Pei-Ru Keh Published