Plissade

The message of the project

In Plissade, vibrant colors appear soft and domestic, yet shimmery like the facets of a gem. Fenna van der Klei presents a sculptural room divider, made entirely out of textile, combining uncompromised craftsmanship with cutting edge techniques.

The idea behind the project

An explosion of color

The partition is built as a single standing textile. Its carefully selected color surface captivates the eye. The color combinations interact with one’s perception and evoke a sense of movement. Vibrant optical illusions appear soft and domestic, yet shimmery like the facets of a gem. The magical effect is a result of an in-depth color research on pleated surfaces and made with ‘structural textile pleating’. This freshly developed technique allows the creation of tall self-supporting textile bodies without the need of other elements.

A circular product

For centuries, soft textile has been the defining material to add warmth, comfort and lightness to a space. But as textile is often assembled in products in ways that disregard our environment, it remains a labor and resource intensive material with a short use cycle. Plissade showcases a pioneering approach: textile is stiffened without binders, adhesives or hard materials. Traditional pleating techniques are reimagined, revealing new opportunities - introducing a circular, solely textile partition screen.

What next?

Fenna van der Klei and Fundació Eurecat together drive innovation with an eco-design approach. With this project they accelerate the circular economy. Similar product solutions offer heavy products, mostly made out of wood or resource intensive materials that are difficult to recycle. They believe their product offers a completely new look and feel, that is easy to customise - as full colour digital printing on textile is affordable and efficient - and introduces a new story of luxury through innovation. They have the ambition to team up with performance-driven textile companies to broaden the reach and impact.