Repeat
Date: 2002
Commissioned by: Maharam, New York (available here)
Type: Industrial product
With a repeat rate of 3 meters, the collection of textiles Repeat introduces randomness to upholstery and a personal touch to the industrial process.
The design of the collection is an assignment for New York-based textiles producer Maharam and based on the archives of a Swiss weaving mill. From the extensive archives, Jongerius has chosen patterns that are both archetypal and timeless. The following two themes can be distinguished:
The design Classics consists of four different classic patterns woven together with a total repeat of 3 meters. The patterns used are a stripe, hounds-tooth, a flower and a bird. By changing colors and dimensions, the classic patterns acquire a contemporary twist. The name Repeat chosen for the collection also refers to the use of already existing designs. Recycling archetypal elements is very specific for the Jongerius approach to design.
Technical data specifically used in weaving, like the codes of colors, the number of the warp and the abbreviation for ‘cotton’, are printed on top of the Classic panel.
The other panel has five different types of dots woven together – pinpricks, pixels and rings – all of them are found in the immense archives, once a main producer of silk fabrics for ties. Big white dotted lines suggesting a huge blow up of a perforation-line are printed on top of this panel.
By giving the designs a repeat of not less than three meters, Jongerius supplies the upholstery trade with completely new possibilities. These dimensions eliminate the traditional and generally accepted repeat in the upholstering of, for example, a sofa. And a set of chairs will clearly appear to be members of the same family, although no two of them are the same.