RAF SIMONS / KVADRAT
I read this note on style years ago from a large coffee table book, I can't remember the book or who said it, so I'll paraphrase here...
"Camel reminds us of trips to the dry cleaners and the Hamptons. It is chic, timeless and classic."
The sentiment has rung true for all these years, camel remains a timeless option that subtly screams: boring yet luxurious. I think of Ralph Lauren, Max Mara or plain cashmere camel coats. There are many words (all great) I associate with Raf's work, but boring is not among them. This is why his latest effort came as such a pleasant surprise. In Raf's deft hands, "boring camel" has remained subdued but is now modern and directional with it's intricate weave. Raf spent one year designing the eleven fabrics for his latest collab with Kvadrat... a long way from the marathon pace that saw him designing 10 collections a year between Dior and his own namesake label.
Some of the interior textiles even appeared as fabric in Raf Simons latest menswear show. In a Wallpaper magazine interview, he had this to say;
'The big question for me when designing for Kvadrat is: "Will I want to live with this for the next ten years?"' says Simons. 'People think more deeply about the things they live with in their homes. We want ours to last, so we didn't go wild, wild, wild. And we didn't want them to be too disconnected from what Kvadrat does already.'
Raf Simons photographed for VOGUE US
To celebrate the collection interior textile brand Kvadrat, asked fans to share their idea of a perfect Sunday, I shared the images below of Rebecca Louise Law's fresh flower installation at St. Christopher's Place. They reminded me of Raf Simon's use of flowers in modern ways for runway presentations while at Jil Sander and Dior, and they also summed up an ideal Sunday - brunching under a canopy of colouful fleurs.
Later they shared my images with their followers and sent me this Camel coloured throw made using 100% new camel hair from Raf Simons & Kvadrat's collaboration. It's supersized, and super soft. I'm looking forward to snuggling up under this with a good book, and possibly venturing out with it as a giant cape/scarf when the temperature dips in the fall.
The collaboration which won a WallPaper Design award is described by the brand as this ;
The Kvadrat/Raf Simons collection brings the acclaimed designer’s exceptional sense of style to the home. Distinguished by the innovative blending of colour and materials for which he is known in the fashion world, Raf Simons’s first collection of textiles and accessories for the home is by turns sophisticated and playful, and produced according to the exacting standards associated with Kvadrat. Conceived as a suite of diverse yet complementary tones, weaves and textures, the eleven core textile designs are suitable for use in a wide variety of interiors, and work beautifully together in a multitude of inventive combinations.
You can shop the collection in London at Skandium or Selfridges and find out more here
