DREAM WEAVER: Wallpaper magazine’s March issue, which hits newsstands today, divulges details on Raf Simons’ collaboration with Kvadrat, the Danish manufacturer of interior design textiles. His collection launches next month and spotlights textured upholstery fabrics, wool and cashmere throws, and mohair blankets in a palette that runs from royal blue and vibrant orange to pink and pale gray.
WWD broke the news about the collaboration on Nov. 13.
“The big question for me when designing for Kvadrat is: ‘Will I want to live with this for the next ten years?’” Simons told the magazine. “People think more deeply about the things they want in their homes. We want ours to last, so we didn’t go wild, wild, wild. And we didn’t want them to be too disconnected from what Kvadrat does already.”
Simons had first worked with Kvadrat when he used some of the firm’s wools in his fall 2011 collection for Jil Sander. The designer, the couturier at Dior, also used fabrics from the Kvadrat collaboration for his fall 2014 men’s collection, which he created with the artist Sterling Ruby.
Tony Chambers, editor in chief of Wallpaper, described Simons’ collaboration as “a complete nexus of fashion and design. The collaboration is a sincere one. Raf hasn’t ‘phoned it in.’ It’s a long-term commitment on both sides.” Indeed, Simons — who had studied furniture design before shifting into fashion — plans to add five or six new pieces to the collection each spring.
Anders Byriel, chief executive of Kvadrat, described Simons’ designs for the company in the story as “very brave, sophisticated and different from traditional interior textiles.”