BYBORRE explores tactility of waves with natuzzi water textile collection

natuzzi italia‘s the circle of harmony collection is a search for balance and perfection. it seeks to define an ecosystem of design that displays a homage to beauty, inclusiveness, and the comparison between different creative interpretations of the renowned made-in-puglia brand. as such, the theme welcomes eight designers including marcantonio, claudio bellini, nika zupanc, maurizio manzoni, BYBORRE, mauro lipparini, paola navone, and fabio novembre. the designs blend the character of their designer with ethics, aesthetics, style, function, colors and materials true to natuzzi italia. these range from sofas to modular seating systems and from beds to table, lamps, and even a specific upholstery textile.

BYBORRE’s innovative textile, the natuzzi italia water collection, invites users to sit, touch and explore upon the upholstery, which adorns many designs of the circle of harmony. designboom spoke to the designer to understand the form and feel of his fabric for the italian brand’s textile range.

‘the first thing pasquale junior [natuzzi italia creative director] said to me was that if we were going to work together, I needed to understand where natuzzi italia is from,’ explains borre akkersdijk, CEO and co-founder of BYBORRE, to designboom. ‘it was amazing to see puglia, but also to see how natuzzi italia is like a family. they are deeply connected to the surrounding nature, the soil and the sea. I got a great sense of balance.’

before starting any project, the dutch innovation studio BYBORRE tries to get a distinct understanding of the client and the products they make. this was the same for natuzzi italia. their first visit to the brand’s home in puglia immediately inspired the theme for their ‘water’ textile collection. as its name suggests, the design was influenced by the movement of the waves of the mediterranean sea, its rawness, and its reference to exploration.

‘the idea of the design focused on tactility and inviting users to feel, which is very important for seating objects. I wanted people to sit on these designs and explore by touch. the sea, and its waves, is the reference. users should dive in, explore and enjoy,’ confirms the designer.

as a result, the natuzzi italia ‘water’ collection is luxurious to the sight and touch. and it is also available in five distinct colors, from a deep blue to earthy green and sun-kissed orange. the fabric is made with a yarn that combines very high quality wool and recycled PES. this makes it equally as durable as it is artistic.

‘our process is a knit. the double layered net structure is made out of lots of little loops to remain flexible. we integrate filling yarn that is then streamed to swell up and consume the remaining space. this is what gives the textile its three-dimensionality as it changes in smoothness as if a wave,’ describes borre.

to deliver such innovation in textile – where the fabric covering of an object adds a distinct level of art – is only realized thanks to the studio’s heavy research emphasis. they rewire and even hack the software of the manufacturing machines in order to really push the quality and capabilities of a material further. this is also with the consciousness of sustainability.

‘first and foremost, I think that is very important to only produce what is necessary, especially in the textile industry,’ states the designer. ‘we look at all stages of our design process to ensure sustainable efforts, from the fibers through to the machining and then full production. for us, sustainability is not only the use of recycled fiber but also the consideration of efficiency and longevity.’

longevity was key to the natuzzi italia ‘water’ textile collection; it needed to upholster many designs for the brand as well as their circle of harmony range. it has been applied to ‘argo’ by paola navone, ‘infinito’ by marcantonio, and ‘buddy’ by mauro lipparini but can also adorn many more of their models.

‘it was really different to work with such a big furnishing brand. our textile aims to make their designs more like art pieces yet they needed to be functional for decades of use. we overcame two main challenges: firstly to capture the DNA of natuzzi italia, and secondly to make the best performing textile possible. collectively, we pushed a lot of boundaries to make the ‘water’ collection possible,’ concludes borre akkersdijk of BYBORRE to designboom.