Roger Duffius, export manager of KOBE company, tells about new collections of home fabrics.

Passing the gallery

Interview prepared: Oksana Kashenko

Magazine: Decor N11 (89) 2004

This year, KOBE has released two new collections of fabrics: "Polo" and "Chic." She first presented the latter in the Moscow gallery "Arben". KOBE export manager Roger Duffhuis came to the premiere of the collection from Germany. So we learned firsthand about new trends in the production of fabrics and about new textile fashion.SALON: What is the difference of the last two collections? - In the collection "Chic" (was presented at the exhibition Heimtextil in Germany. - SALON) there are things that are inspired by Italian design. A lot of play matte surfaces and shine. For this we used a thread that is used in the production of taffeta. The Polo collection has completely different roots. The inspiration for its creation was the British and American interiors; the main idea is life in a country house: horseback riding, walks through the forest, swimming in the lake, and then a pleasant return to the fireplace. We tried to make fabrics for people who live like this. They prefer the classic interior, conservative in nature, and love sports. The result was such a feminine collection. In contrast to the collection "Chic", clearly female.S: At least a little about the technical characteristics of the fabric. What besides beauty gets the buyer? - Today the most important thing in the production of fabric is the development of fiber for it. Only by improving the fiber can you achieve some amazing effect when creating a fabric. For example, many fabrics of the Polo collection are characterized by the fact that when they were created, a completely new stitched thread was used. Usually the stringer is twisted so that, no matter how it is, the pile will still be long and fluffy. Here we managed to achieve such a density of twisting of the thread that the nap became short, almost velvety, but it did not lose its “shinilnyh” qualities: overflow and silkiness. We have fabrics that seem worn, worn. This is also the merit of a special fiber. It very well conducts the light, and the canvas woven from it, everything plays with light and shadow. This fabric is so good and durable that it suits even the royal headsets, even the curtains for the palace. And she drapes wonderfully and is so pleasant to the touch that literally attracts to itself. Here's another story. We asked to make a checkered fabric of one hundred percent cotton. This is not wool. The requirement was very simple. We wanted this fabric to be very durable so that it could be used both for curtains and for upholstering furniture. The output was a seemingly decent costume fabric. We liked the result. But we decided to make another version of the same fabric. And after a special treatment, the canvas became soft, not costume, but “pashminovy”. And then the same fabric was subjected to another treatment. And they got a canvas that looked like a shiny raincoat. And this is all - one hundred percent cotton! And the most important advantage of the fabric is its resistance to washing. When cotton composition, it gives no more than 2% shrinkage. This is a unique product.S: From what you showed, I singled out two of the most important trends: it is important that the fabrics are worn a little, and it is fashionable that they look like costume ones. - Yes you are right. For example, we have a cloth that has an even more well-worn look, as if it is wiping, rubbed. Here an interesting technology is applied. The fabric consists of two types of pure polyester fiber. One can sit down under certain conditions, and the second - never. Therefore, when this fabric was created, it was washed in a special way. What should have sat down - the village, what should not have been - not the village and formed beautiful air loops. And this is all polyester. But it is absolutely new fiber. I must say that it was developed specifically for our idea. In general, shrinkage is not typical for polyester. This is a very stable fiber. At one time it was developed for the production of high-tech fabrics. But it was under our order that something was changed in the polyester formula - and the result was a predictable shrinkage of the fiber. We then used this fiber in another fabric. It turned out very nicely: a smooth striped fabric, interspersed with small, without a patterned pleat. Although in fact for us, of course, the most important thing is design, not fiber. But the creation of the most beautiful fabrics requires maximum efforts from all participants in the process: designers, technologists, marketing specialists, etc.S: How many collections does the company currently produce? - We do not always make up a collection of fabrics. Sometimes we divide them by grades, colors, etc. In general, the company has about 600 types of fabrics in 9,500 designs. Some fabrics are available in two or three colors, some in two hundred.S: How is the collection made? “First, the concept of the collection is invented, then fabrics are developed for it. This is a new approach not only for us, but for the entire market. It used to be the opposite. Fabrics were created, then collections were made from them. Everyone was so absorbed in the development of technically advanced fabrics that they forgot the most important thing. A person who buys fabrics for an interior does not do it because he likes their technical side, but because he is waiting for some kind of emotion, some kind of rest for the soul. Therefore, before starting the development of the collection itself, we determine what mood, what emotions the interior, decorated with our fabrics from this collection, should evoke.S: What colors, in your opinion, will be most relevant in the next two to three years? - If we talk about color at all, then we believe that there are colors that never go out of fashion. This is all pastel gamma, close to beige color. Red color of various shades. Warm orange color, closer to terracotta, also does not lose relevance. These are some basic colors that have been on the market for more than one hundred years. Recently, it is very noticeable that the blue has surrendered its position in decorating the home, it almost disappears. But we see, for example, that green, which almost four years ago was almost gone from collections, is now becoming popular. In fact, the same color can remain at the peak of fashion for several years, and its shades will change every season. This is normal. We constantly need something new, something interesting. And with the help of fabrics, the easiest way to solve this annual problem is the thirst for renewal.