Tres, a personal quest
How to embody all the power of craftsmanship in a single design
Some designs can only be developed when a certain level of maturity has been achieved. Creatively, technically and emotionally. There is a security that comes from know-how gleaned over the years and from recognition. An impetus that helps one embark on more experimental paths when new ideas emerge...
2014. New York City. Sheila Hicks, one of Nani’s heroes, took part in the Whitney Museum Biennial. Nani, who had flown in to present the new collections at the brand’s showroom, was keen to see the exhibition. As she left the museum, her head was spinning with ideas: she needed to start a search, she needed to express all the power of craftsmanship in a single rug.
The starting point would be flat weave. Until then, Nani had always produced monochromatic, plain rugs. This time she couldn’t lose sight of what she was looking for to get a different result. The key was to look for different textures, use yarns of different fibers and thicknesses, and play around with density. But how to fit all this in 4m2?
It was clear to Nani that weaving it in a single piece would be hugely complex. Mightn’t it be more interesting to weave separate pieces and then sew them together? Combining the pieces was indeed more captivating. 3 parts, each with its own specific characteristics, yet all integrated into a single design.
One part was a play on density and using different fibers. By using two types of fibers in the warp and combining wefts with more or less density, she was able to achieve different textures and color effects.
Another part played with the same fibers, but created movement using different densities in the wefts and changes in the pattern.
And, in a third, she played with the same density but combined different fibers. Density and pattern are maintained, but, by using materials of different thicknesses, she was able to add dynamism.
The wool, wool felt and cotton in different thicknesses, the various densities, the pattern changes and her first use of fringes resulted in a unique design. Nani had done it: she had succeeded in embodying all the attributes of craftsmanship in a rug. Craftsmanship in its purest form, the beauty of imperfection.
After two years of research, the process culminated in the 2016 launch of the TRES collection. Three expressions of the potential of craftsmanship that, over time, have led to two more separate collections. A masterpiece of craftsmanship that is already one of our iconic pieces. This is our most copied collection. Why is that?
“Tres refleja nuestra pasión por la artesanía y rinde homenaje al oficio milenario de la tejeduría.”
—Nani Marquina
