Kvadrat launches upholstery textile made with #tide ocean material

Kvadrat was established in Denmark in 1968 and has deep roots in Scandinavia’s world-famous design tradition. A leader in design innovation, Kvadrat produces high-performance textiles. Their latest collection for upholstery is made of 100% #tide ocean material.

Kvadrat is well known for consistently pushing the aesthetic, technological and functional properties of textiles. In doing so, they collaborate with leading designers, architects and artists including Olafur Eliasson, Alfredo Häberli, Raf Simons, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec or Roman Signer.

For their latest collection, Kvadrat has partnered with Milan based architect and designer Patricia Urquiola. Inspired by sportswear and the look of technical textiles, Urquiola gave the new collection called “Sport” a sophisticated binding that adds tactile multidimensionality to its structure.

“Sport” is the worlds first upholstery textile that is made out of 100% ocean-bound plastic and the result of a fruitful collaboration between Kvadrat and #tide. From the beginning Kvadrat was commited to fully understanding the story behind the material. The designers and product developers appreciated how #tide put's transparency front and center and was able to provide deep insights into the supply chain. Stine Find Osther, Vice President Design at Kvadrat: "#tide has been very amazing because they have offered full transparency. In the way they’re working from the collector, the NGOs, and the full journey of the material."

If a partnership is based on shared values, that's when the best projects results. Marc Krebs, Co-founder #tide: “The partnership with Kvadrat means a lot to us: we share the philosophy that the highest standards in design and materials can be combined with important sustainable and ethical actions. Both, Kvadrat and #tide want to create a much-needed social and environmental impact that protect the oceans and supports coastal and island communities in their fight against plastic pollution”.

The story of the material is also reflected in the products name:

Sport offers sustainability benefits over other ocean plastic polyester textiles, which typically have to integrate either virgin polyester or other polyester recycled from other post-consumer plastic sources.

The colour palette of Sport derives its signature colours from the three different coloured yarns used in its construction. The design comes in a selection of colourways incorporating a scale of rich, warm and cold accents and neutral notes. These hues give the textile a bold look and enhance the qualities of the ocean-bound polyester.

Patricia Urquiola: “The colours for Sport are divided into ‘salt and pepper’ monochrome nuances, which illuminate the textile’s high-tech graphic character, and solid shades which fade its texture away."