In addition to Louis Vuitton and Dior participating in the Milan Furniture Fair (Salone del Mobile Milano 2023), LOEWE is also one of the participating brands that cannot be missed. The value of technological inventions.
This year’s project is called “LOEWE CHAIRS”. As the name suggests, the chair is the protagonist. It was exhibited in the courtyard of Palazzo Isimbardi during the exhibition. The theme of the project is weaving technology. Through the creativity and skill of craftsmen, the weaving technology creates a distinctive texture and gives soft materials a sculptural form.
Different weaving techniques are applied to different materials, such as leather and raffia fiber are commonly used materials in LOEWE, and sheared wool and felt are also used to cover chair materials to create a soft and moist touch. Vibrant colors accentuate their character, transforming chairs for new decorative ideas, and each piece is the result of an interaction between artisans and their favorite materials and objects.
The appearance and structure of wooden bar chairs are simple and neat, and they are usually regarded as ordinary farm furniture. There has never been any documented records. The earliest records are related to the 10th century monarch Hywel Dda. Wooden chairs come in many forms, and the common point is their manufacturing method, which is to embed the backrest and chair legs into the seat surface. This project showcases innovative weaving techniques and applications with wooden chairs. A total of 30 wooden chairs have been decorated, of which 22 are original antiques, and the rest are made by a British workshop specializing in wooden chairs.
In addition, there are eight Lloyd Loom armchairs launched by Vincent Sheppard in Belgium, reflecting the practical function and decorative value of the chair itself. Lloyd Loom fabrics are quite durable, and its history began in 1917 during the First World War, when an entrepreneur Marshall Burns Lloyd invented the technology of wrapping paper strips around metal wires and then weaving them into soft fabrics by machine, which was originally used to make baby carriers. It was later used in furniture making, especially suitable for making outdoor furniture, and it is more durable than rattan. In 1992, Vincent Sheppard obtained the patent for this technology and opened a factory in Cirebon, Indonesia. The local weaving and rattan making traditions are also quite famous.