In 2014 Designtex introduced the Origami Collection by Tobias Batrla, who designed two fabrics–Chiyogami and Kabuto–both inspired by traditional Japanese paper-folding. Recently added to the Textile collection is Chiyogami, also a term that describes the graphic patterns on origami paper that were originally printed with woodblocks. The chevron form in Chiyogami becomes three dimensional through...
One of the greatest challenges in designing commercial textiles has been creating durable, cleanable, affordable, and aesthetically pleasing fabrics for highly trafficked and 24/7 environments like healthcare facilities, theaters and airports. In addition, there is more demand for textiles with sustainable manufacturing practices, and companies like Designtex are taking on this responsibility and producing some...
Flectron, manufactured by Laird Technologies, is a flexible, lightweight, and highly conductive technical textile used in the building industry. Its non-woven copper-coated polyester structure makes it ideal for preventing electromagnetic interference in areas which need to be shielded, such as conference rooms, offices, and MRI rooms. Flectron is meant to be used and installed like...
Sandy Chilewich has popularized and boosted the reputation of extruded yarn manufacture, specifically in vinyl, which used to be reserved for more industrial applications. She took advantage of a fairly simple mechanical process involving relatively few steps to make much of the woven vinyl products that are part of her eponymous line. The extrusion process...
A series of wool fabrics in saturated, oversized plaid is Designtex’s most recent collaboration with Harriet Wallace-Jones and Emma Sewell of the British textile studio Wallace Sewell (already represented in Cooper Hewitt’s collection with a blanket). The large-repeat stripes and grids are inspired in part by Bauhaus textile artist Anni Albers and in part by...
Focusing on durable textiles that meet high performance applications for healthcare, education, hospitality, corporate and residential, Designtex created Hint. The fiber is specially formulated to be bleach cleanable for healthcare applications and easy to clean for all other applications. The designers added a comforting hand through the use of chenille yarns, without sacrificing performance and...
This fine, dark red, encircling fishing net by Toray Industries (designed in 1996, manufactured in 2003), requires very specialized physical characteristics for its ultimate performance as a fishing net. It must be strong enough for fishermen to haul in hundreds of pounds of fish, while light enough for easy handling and storage. Made of Tetoron...
One of the greatest challenges in designing commercial textiles has been creating durable, cleanable, affordable, and aesthetically pleasing fabrics for highly trafficked and 24/7 environments like healthcare facilities, theaters and airports. In addition, there is more demand for textiles with sustainable manufacturing practices, and companies like Designtex are taking on this responsibility and producing some...
This modernist velour furnishing fabric designed in 1934 was produced in an area of northern France where weaving centers like Lille, Roubaix, and Tourcoing manufactured fabrics for use on airplanes, trains, and boats. During this era, escalating industrialization facilitated mass transportation, which led to an increased emphasis on travel. This cultural shift not only introduced...
