Introducing Sander Lak’s Collaboration with Maharam
Maharam introduces an ongoing collaboration between fashion designer Sander Lak and the Maharam Design Studio, beginning with three upholsteries: Gemma, Gemma Multi, and Terra.
Through collaboration, the Maharam Design Studio pursues an exchange of fresh insights and contrasting approaches from beyond the textile industry. Innovative results speak to the benefits of this expanded perspective. A draw toward new creative influences led Maharam to Sander Lak, a master colourist and fashion designer whose career has spanned Balmain, Dries Van Noten, Phillip Lim, and most recently his own label Sies Marjan. According to Mary Murphy, Maharam’s Senior Vice President of Design, “We were drawn to Sander’s exuberant yet sensitive use of colour and the refreshing humility and ethos he brings to everything he does. Since our collaborations are intended to span decades rather than seasons, we are first drawn to a sensibility or way of thinking and the particulars of collaboration emerge later.”
Known for ethereal subversions of proportion and material, Lak and Maharam had a mutual curiosity about how this approach might extend to interior textiles. Lak’s palettes are informed by the ephemera of material culture including references as far-ranging as ceramics, vintage cars, confections, electrical cables, digital icons, corporate logos and office supplies. Extracting each colour from its original context, Lak develops colour cards to explore carefully calibrated interactions between tone and texture. Of his decidedly broad influences, Lak says: “It’s not about seeking newness, I think the time of newness is over, now it’s about collecting, decontextualising, and clashing all the things together.”
Lak’s instinctual approach to colour finds ample expression as part of the Maharam Design Studio’s 2021 wool initiative—a comprehensive offering guided by an interest in renewable natural fibers and introducing a fresh perspective to classic wool staples. Joining this series, Gemma, Gemma Multi, and Terra explore the potential of Lak’s acute colour approach in combination with the tactility and nuance of wool. Two woven felts—Gemma and its reversible melange companion Gemma Multi—offer a combined palette of over 150 colours highlighting Lak’s extensive experimentation—Gemma through the creamy saturation of piece-dyed wool and Gemma Multi through intricate bicoloured blends. Offering an exceedingly soft hand, both textiles are woven and felted for added resilience in all upholstery and vertical application. Woven in Italy, Terra is a chunky basket weave whose palette balances natural and synthetic references across shades of romaine, creamsicle, and artificial grape.
Gemma by Sander Lak
Gemma is a resilient wool felt whose uniformity provides the ideal canvas for saturated colour. Lak was drawn to Gemma’s material purity and the directness with which his highly specific piece-dyed colour targets could be translated onto its matte surface. Gemma is pressed flat after felting, resulting in a smooth finish and soft hand.
Explore Gemma by Sander Lak here
Terra by Sander Lak
Woven in Italy, Terra is a chunky basket weave with a dense boucle in both warp and weft. Lak was interested in the way Terra’s hues interact with light and shadow across its ruggedly textured surface. A rich yet subdued palette is punctuated by lively hues of saffron, chartreuse, and electric teal.
Explore Terra by Sander Lak here
Gemma Multi by Sander Lak
A companion to Gemma, Gemma Multi is a heathered, reversible felt whose warp and weft are matched to Lak’s custom colour targets before being woven and felted, resulting in a nuanced melange. Rather than using traditional highlights of black, white, or grey, Lak combines complementary shades like teal and pumpkin and subtly analogous hues such as lilac and navy—each selected from his extensive library of colour references.
Explore Gemma Multi by Sander Lak here
For more information about Maharam’s collaboration with Sander Lak, contact us at australia@kvadratmaharam.com