Bespoke Stripe by Maharam Möbelbezugstoff von Kvadrat

Upholstery inspired by classic menswear with a twist

British fashion designer Paul Smith approached Maharam, Kvadrat’s international partner in 2002 after seeing I Morosi alla Finestra (The Lovers at the Window), a Gio Ponti designed silk, at a Ponti retrospective at the Design Museum in London. Attracted by the whimsy of the pattern, Smith proposed I Morosi for use as a lining in his men’s jackets. Soon after, Smith adopted various Maharam archival textiles for shoes, hats and bags, due for release in fall 2003. Having provided textiles for use in the Paul Smith collection, Maharam invited Paul Smith
to focus his wit on the world of seating textiles.

Building on Smith’s tradition of textile innovation, Bespoke Stripe by Paul Smith was inspired by the designer’s light-hearted take on traditional British tailoring. Designed for seating application, Bespoke Stripe features vibrant multi-colored stripes embedded in a quintessential menswear pinstripe. The seemingly random occurrence of stripes across the full width of the textile offers designers, in the bespoke tradition, the opportunity to customize how fabric meets furniture. Bespoke Stripe by Paul Smith is available in a classic menswear palette, including black, rich browns, navy and heathered grays. Constructed of lustrous 100% worsted wool, the textiles were designed at an upholstery weight, and meet all contract performance requirements.

The term “Bespoke” refers to the tailoring tradition exemplified by London’s Saville Row (a street in London known since the 1800s for fine custom tailoring and menswear). Bespoke tailoring permits a client to select the fabric, cut, style and detail of a garment, after which each one–of–a-kind piece is then meticulously handcrafted. Paul Smith offers traditional bespoke tailoring in his Westbourne Grove shop, albeit with his typical imaginative approach to lining, detailing and one-off exclusive textiles.

Concurrent to the launch of Bespoke Stripe, and echoing the Anglo/Danish collaboration of Maharam, Kvadrat and Paul Smith, Fritz Hansen will relaunch Arne Jacobsen’s Oxford Chair, upholstered in Bespoke Stripe. Originally designed in 1965 by the Danish architect for his campus at St. Catherine’s College, Oxford, the Oxford chair has been re-engineered to reflect the timeless silhouette of the original design.

Type: Upholstery Composition: 100% new wool Yarn type: Worsted Binding: Satin Width: 142 cm Weight: Approx. 370 g/lin.m Repeat: None - Length striped