When Raf Simons designed a furniture range with Kvadrat, the fashion world pricked up its ears. Simons repurposed some of the textiles in his own collections, but up until now, the Danish textile manufacturer had kept a tight lid on the fabrics.
But in Kvadrat’s Paris showroom, German leather goods label Tsatsas was watching with fascination. The brand’s founders, architect Esther Schulze-Tsatsas and the industrial designer Dimitrios Tsatsas,
had been presenting their accessory collections in the showroom for several seasons, and were drawn towards ‘the textiles’ structures and their world of colour’.
They decided to venture out of their comfort zone. Having so far worked solely with natural leathers, Tsatsas approached Kvadrat with the idea of using the furniture textiles for a bag – and with success. They recall being ‘overjoyed that Kvadrat and Raf Simons agreed to our becoming the very first bag label world-wide to work with the collection’.
The limited collection of five versions in editions of 50, titled 'So_Far', reworks Tsatsas’ iconic 'Fluke' bag into five new versions, that combine cowhide linings with the Raf Simons-designed Kvadrat textiles, that proved exceptionally suited as a material for bags. Usually, Tsatsas explains, ‘a sturdy surface such as leather is needed if you consider a bag not as some short-lived seasonal article, but a long-standing companion. The Kvadrat textiles meet all the standards of the furniture industry, such as extreme abrasion-resistance.'
Simons had time to develop these fabrics, as opposed to the fast pace at which fashion collections have to be designed.
Tsatsas also believes time to be the most important element to their creative work.
‘For us, Raf Simons is one of the most striking contemporary designers’, they add. ‘Even if our own work differs in shape, the respective approaches are similar: the focus is on innovation in the form, proportions and structure.’
The brand’s founders, architect Esther Schulze-Tsatsas and the industrial designer Dimitrios Tsatsas, had been presenting their accessory collections in Kvadrat’s Paris showroom for several seasons, and were drawn towards ‘the textiles’ structures and their world of colour’. Pictured left: ’So_Far Sonar’. Right: ’So_Far Noise’
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Tsatsas website
-
The great American museum boomNine of the world’s top ten most expensive, recently announced cultural projects are in the US. What is driving this investment, and is this statistic sustainable?
-
Here’s how Heathrow is reimagining airport chaos as ambient musicGrammy-nominated Jordan Rakei turns travel noise into a meditative soundtrack by sampling everything from baggage belts to jet engines
-
Wallpaper* checks into Gansevoort Meatpacking, an art-filled hotel that mirrors the district’s glow-upThis sharp, stylish New York hotel is a fixture in its neighbourhood, where boutiques, restaurants and clubs have long since taken over spaces once occupied by slaughterhouses
-
An exclusive first look at new Kvadrat/Raf Simons campaign, photographed by Willy VanderperreCaptured in Antwerp, the images feature Kvadrat/Raf Simons Collection 2, an expanding array of Shaker-inspired lifestyle accessories made in collaboration between the Belgian designer and Danish textile company
-
Raf Simons to close eponymous label after 27 yearsAnnounced in an Instagram post, Belgian designer Raf Simons – one of fashion’s most influential figures – says that his S/S 2023 collection will be his last
-
Raf Simons joins Prada as co-creative directorThe Belgian designer will join Miuccia Prada as co-creative director of the Italian label
-
Calvin Klein 205W39NYC and Sterling Ruby collaborate on the brand’s new Paris HQ -
Best in shows: our standouts of the spring/summer 2018 collectionsPhotography: Melaine + Ramon. Fashion: Isabelle Kountoure and Jérôme André. Writer: Laura Hawkins
-
Tunnel vision: decked out in clashing checks and plaid, we’re dancing to a different beat -
Reborn in the USA: Raf Simons unveils Sterling Ruby-designed Calvin Klein flagship -
A monumental Dior retrospective opens at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris
