Soft Warriors: All photos courtesy of Färg & Blanche.

Milan 2017 – Soft warriors by Färg & Blanche occupy a former church in Milan summarizing the French-Swedish design duo tailoring approach to design. On show also new techniques including metal stitching and stitched-furniture baking.

RELATED STORIES: Read more about Milan Design Week on Archipanic…

“We like to call our designs soft warriors as they are both tough and gentle. Hard and resistant materials like wood and metal meet the soft and welcoming feel of upholstery and textiles” says Fredrik Färg to Archipanic.

After sewing wood, Färg & Blanche took the challenge to create new furniture by stitching in metal. The result is a new series of chairs and side tables with a brass or steel shell stitched with resistant yarns and a comfy and upholstered alcove. 0,5 cm thick metal sheets are initially water cut and then folded and stitched with an extreme sewing machine.

On show also the samurai-inspired bugs-looking LONG NECK chairs developed with Swedish textile company Bolon and now also in new pink nuances. “These gentle armours can both protect and empower their hosts” Says Fredrik Färg.”The designs and the technique behind them derive from an art-in-residence stay in Japan last year.” Read more about LONG NECK…

BIG ARM is a stocky armchair ready for a fight. “The inspiration here is how the samurai warriors prepare for battle when they attach all the armor parts together before adding the last shell”.

ORGAN chair refers to both vital human organs and the church instrument two felt pieces are stitched together and then filled with a cardboard roll before going into the oven for a bake off. Once ready, the rolls are removed leaving a stitched hard shell that stands on it own.

Färg & Blanche are known for their tailoring approach to furniture. They patented a WOOD TAILORING™ technique to create seats now produced by BD Barcelona. Their ongoing research and experimentation includes also the Succession series which involves rope tying and baking.

The Succession series includes leather stools and mirrors but also tableware developed for French design company Petite Friture. A larger outdoor family member joins the collection. The hollow big furniture was coated in fused plastic to ensure weather-resistance.

“This is our first solo exhibition in Milan. It’s quite a big step.” Says Emma Blanche to Archipanic. “Milan Design Week is a very important opportunity. We decided to go solo outside the fair avoiding Zona Tortona, maybe a too commercial hotspot, Ventura Lambrate, a too student-oriented district, and Brera that works better for big brands with fancy showrooms”.

All photos: courtesy of Färg & Blanche.