Decor 8
Always at the forefront of cultural trends, Vivienne Westwood is considered to be one of the most
original and influential designers of our time.
Gentle parody of Establishment, a playful mix of British fabrics, sheer eccentricity and a keen curiosity is where Westwood delights and excels. Vivienne Westwood and The Rug Company first collaborated back in 2005 with the resulting “Parody of Establishment”, as it was referred to at the time, included the
legendary handmade rug design known as VW Flag. Since then, the two have combined forces many times, with three new Vivienne Westwood rugs recently unveiled; Thistle, Moiré and Vivienne’s Rose Dust.
It is evident that once again Vivienne has tapped into her sense of heritage and “Britishness” to create the new collection, her affinity with Scotland, aptly illustrated by her MacAndreas tartan, is said to have originally been inspired by her husband and design partner, Andreas Kronthaler. In this latest collection her abstract take on Scotland’s national flower and emblem, showcased in THISTLE GOLD a hand knotted
rug with fine silk yarns on a Tibetan wool background makes an explosive statement as a rug. In contrast, the other two designs have a more gentle and traditional tone.
From the outset the creative process is a team affair, Vivienne explains. “The graphics for the designs start with prints from our archive. A tribute to Alex Krenn, one of our oldest friends who works on our design team and who then translates the prints and graphics on to these beautiful carpets. They are really special.”
The Rug Company’s weavers translate the designs into hundreds of thousands of individual knots – around 780,000 knots for each of these 2.74m by 1.83m rugs. Soft Tibetan wool and fine silk are woven together to capture the nuances of Vivienne’s designs. Each rug is entirely handmade by weavers in the Kathmandu area of Nepal – world recognised for their expertise. The combination of world-class design and traditional Nepalese weaving skills is simply formidable
For more information visit: www.therugcompany.com