ince its founding in 1924, the storied French textile

brand La Manufacture Cogolin has worked with some

of the last century’s biggest names in art and design.

From Jean Cocteau and Picasso to Jean-Michel Frank

and Le Corbusier, the stalwart of Provençal weaving

has helped many a great aesthete translate their

creative vision into fabrics and floor coverings.

La Manufacture Cogolin’s most recent collaborator –

thanks to Wallpaper’s matchmaking for this edition

of Handmade – is Zaven, the multidisciplinary creative

studio run by Enrica Cavarzan and Marco Zavagno

out of Venice. With a practice that tends to challenge

conventional ways of using objects while cleverly

merging product and graphic design, Zaven was at

once humbled to follow in such prestigious footsteps

and determined to contribute something entirely

new to La Manufacture Cogolin’s portfolio. Staying

true to their method, the designers set out to question

the very definition of a rug: does it have to be flat?

Can it be more than a decorative object? The result

of Zaven’s inquiry is ‘Vibes’, a pillow-rug-futon hybrid

that conflates a two-dimensional pattern with

three-dimensional form, creating a novel domestic

object ideal for lounging, labouring, loving and most

other kinds of living.

‘There is an element of informality to the way we

live today,’ explains Zavagno, who along with Cavarzan,

looked closely at the laidback seating of the 1970s »

THIS PICTURE, THE ‘VIBES’

PILLOW RUG IS WOVEN

ON ONE OF 16 LOOMS AT

LA MANUFACTURE

COGOLIN’S WORKSHOP

BELOW, A WEAVING

SHUTTLE ON THE PATTERN

FOR THE PILLOW RUG

S

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