Manufactured by Dedar, the furnishing fabric Present Perfect has the visual qualities of a hand-embroidered textile, with its asymmetrical and punctuated patterning, but it is a jacquard-woven fabric that plays with texture and light. The abstract composition of geometric shapes realized with yarns of different thicknesses, colors, and material is distinctive against the jute and cotton ground. The dynamic surface quality created by the pattern and the glimmer of metallic yarn recalls work by the German Bauhaus textile designer, Anni Albers, who experimented with different types of yarn, including cellophane for its light reflecting qualities. Present Perfect is unmistakably a twenty-first century textile and a fitting tribute to Albers’s pioneering work in textiles.
Dedar is an acronym formed from Design D’Arredamento, or design for interior furnishings. Founded in 1976 by the husband and wife team of Nicola and Elda Fabrizio, the company is still a family business, although it has grown from 12 to over 100 employees. Dedar’s headquarters is near Como, an area that has specialized for centuries in luxury fabrics. This location allows the brand to experiment and innovate in close collaboration with the most skilled artisan weavers.
The Dedar Collection comprises over 300 articles and 3000 colorways. Dedar has also created custom fabrics in collaboration with interior designers and architects for venues such as the Hotel Costes in Paris, the Skygardens in Dubai, and the Robuchon in Las Vegas.
Matilda McQuaid is the Deputy Director of Curatorial and Head of Textiles at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.
