Kvadrat's Latest Innovation by Peter Saville - the Coveted Item - Draws Inspiration from Graffitied Livestock
In an interview, Anders Byriel, CEO of Danish textile company Kvadrat, boldly declared, "With 'Technicolour', we think we've struck gold." This statement comes from the heart, inside Wooltex, a discrete textile mill nestled in the rain-kissed town of Huddersfield, England. The unpredictable summer showers offer a welcome shelter, as England's moisture-rich climate has historically been a key factor in the success of textile mills, a relic of the Industrial Revolution from the 1800s.
Crafted in this mill is Kvadrat's eagerly anticipated collaboration with legendary designer Peter Saville. Building on a 2021 project of the same name that encompassed an upholstery textile and curtains, the new 'Technicolour' collection delightfully expands upon this celebration of British heritage, wool, and local craftsmanship – without a trace of synthetic fibers.
Kvadrat and Peter Saville's Technicolour Takeover
For Saville, the idea behind the latest collaboration was simple yet captivating. A nostalgic moment spent at a childhood friend's farm in North Wales in the early 2000s allowed him to look back on his past. The vivid sight of sheep darting across fields, their coats adorned with a captivating mélange of colors, caught his eye.
The spray-painted markings on the sheep, an almost cryptic code between farmers, inspired a question: "What if these random filaments of color ended up in production?" The vision of adding more charisma and excitement to Kvadrat was born, with an alluring contrast between urban graffiti-like markings and the rural serenity of the English countryside.
"This idea trickled down to, 'How would these colors look on a sofa?'" reminisced Saville. He initially imagined an off-white sofa adorned with painterly dashes, but the end result was far from a simple imagining. "The sheep are pretty pop, they have a lot of graffiti going on, they're very cool. It's genius, actually."
The textile was skillfully spun at Wooltex (jointly owned by Kvadrat), combining ten base colors, from which the complete collection of 30 colorways stems. The full spectrum includes vibrant hues often used for livestock marking – such as orange, blue, green, yellow, and magenta – along with versatile neutrals such as black, brown, light and dark beige, and an undyed wool nod to the sheep's natural coat. The colors can be effortlessly mixed and matched, resulting in a vibrant weave.
"There are a few places that make you pause and reflect on how far you've come," confessed Saville. "For me, Wales enables this introspection. I used to play there as a ten-year-old and suddenly I'm 50. And it made me think, 'Wow, life is really strange.' Sometimes, you need to leave to remember what you've got. North Wales and Snowdonia, at least geographically, are remarkable, although when I was younger, I did think it was quite limited, whereas Malibu is dreadful."
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Receive our enchanting daily digest of inspiration, escapism, and design stories from around the world, straight to your inbox.
Saville (co-founder of Factory Records and notable for the record sleeves he created for Joy Division and New Order from 1979 to 1993) has expressed a longing for a sofa crafted using the new textiles, and a 'Technicolour' suit is most definitely on the horizon.
The captivating collaborative collection between Kvadrat and Peter Saville, named 'Technicolour', delves into the realm of fashion-and-beauty, paying homage to traditional British heritage and craftsmanship. The collection, showcasing a vibrant blend of home-and-garden hues, is a bold reflection of Saville's personal lifestyle, drawing inspiration from the enchanting colors of Welsh sheep and the English countryside.
