September 3, 2020

Kvadrat Febrik’s Annual Design Exhibition Opens in Copenhagen and OnlineKvadrat Febrik’s Annual Design Exhibition Opens OnlineKvadrat Febrik’s Annual Design Exhibition Opens in Copenhagen and Online

This is not your grandmother’s knitting project. Kvadrat Febrik‘s fourth annual textile design showcase—a program typically featured at Salone del Mobile in Milan—has moved to a digital format this year. Locals in Copenhagen, however, can see the works in person at the Kvadrat showroom, which the brand transformed into an exhibition space for the city’s 3daysofdesign event from September 3-5. For another change, the 28 participating designers did not have to stick to one textile; using any Kvadrat Febrik material of their choice, they were tasked with responding to the theme “Knit!” Here are 10 colorful and inventive highlights that hint at the infinite possibilities of material forms.

1. A Trifle of Color by Yinka Ilori 

an adjustable chair-bench hybrid made of layers of upholstered boards in different colors
Photography by Luke Evans.

An adjustable chair-bench hybrid featuring layers of upholstered boards, A Trifle of Colour gives each user the power to chose the configuration of their choice. 

2. Bumpy Basket by Shigeki Fujishiro

blue, red, and green baskets made of fabric
Photography by Luke Evans.

Constructed from textiles structured around a three-dimensional grid of ropes, Bumpy Basket’s organic, free-flowing form is deep in volume and architecturally inspired.

3. Sundays by Paola Sakr

tableware with textured designs
Photography by Luke Evans.

Sundays is a selection of tableware that give insight into rituals centered around the traditional Lebanese dining room, with Kvadrat textiles used to create the moulds and the final look.

4. Doric Columns, Kinetic Object by Objects of Common Interest

a colorful column that spins when approached
Photography by Luke Evans.

Initially static, the columns come alive when approached: Each broken into a series of vertically stacked textile sections, which spin independently at varying speeds and in different directions creating a new visual for every spin.

5. If I had wings by Zaven

utopian flight suits hang from the ceiling
Photography by Luke Evans.

Drawing on imagery that captures the allure of flight—from flying squirrels to astronauts floating in space—If I had wings is a series of utopian flight suits where knits mediate the interaction between the body and gravity.

6. Ofset Chair by Ana Kraš

waiting room chairs made from overlapping panels
Photography by Luke Evans.

Aiming to transform the waiting room experience, Kraš employs overlapping facets and strict right angles with contrasting colors and textures to create a chair from six quadrilateral upholstered planes.

7. InterPersona by Benja Harney

movable pieces come together to create a surrealist face made of fabric
Photography by Luke Evans.

Famous for his work with paper engineering, Harney takes advantage of Kvadrat’s assortment of textiles and colors to create a series of surrealist faces with interchangeable features.

8. Shed by Julie Richoz

a multi-colored tentlike pop up shelter
Photography by Luke Evans.

Shed proposes a new typology of lightweight, compact textile shelters that seek to explore how materials can create a sense of place.

9. Garment by Ayzit Bostan 

coats and dresses rest of vertical forms
Photography by Luke Evans.

The celebrated Munich-based fashion designer explores textiles originally designed for a different application to that which she is used to, reimagining long dresses, cropped hoodies, kimono coats and layered skirts.

10. Knit Together by Malmö Upcycling Service

a room divider made of thick blue ribbons
Photography by Luke Evans.

Knit Together is a room divider made from thick ribbons of second-choice blue Kvadrat Razzle Dazzle textiles connecting Really Solid Textile Boards—a solid sheet material made by compressing end-of-life textiles.

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