Écru by Cecilie Manz

Danish designer Cecilie Manz is known both at home and abroad for her clear, stringent design language and her declared love of quality. She has now worked with Danish company Elvang to create a series of throws – a historical design archetype that shouldn’t make too much noise and should ideally last for a lifetime. Because if we spend resources on producing something new, it has to be here to stay.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE WITH THE COLLECTION OF THROWS YOU’VE JUST DESIGNED FOR ELVANG?
The world doesn’t really need more things, so if you’re going to produce something new, it has to be of good quality. I actually see it as our duty – to choose decent materials that last, and to ensure the processing and design are in order so that you don’t want to get rid of the item in question. I work with things that endure for the long term, not what appeals to short-term interests. I myself am almost addicted to quality, and it’s my experience that once you get used to going down that road, it’s hard to go back. The Écru series was created with this ethos in mind.

WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION?
The design was inspired by the selvedge – the tightly woven edge on a piece of fabric that prevents it from fraying. Often striped or in a different colour, it has a technical function and has always fascinated me. That’s why in my design I’ve chosen to only have something happen along the edges of the throws, in the form of narrow, coloured stripes that end in fringing. On the rest of the surface there is... nothing! I like the fact that the overall expression is allowed to be quiet and discreet – it’s classic and maybe even a little conservative. I can’t say it any better than the founder of the Swedish company Källemo once did: ”Things must also stand the wear and tear of the eye”. It’s a great quality if something can hold our interest over time. If things are very loud or fashionable, they don’t belong in the universe I work in.

WHAT ROLE DOES THE CHOSEN MATERIAL, ALPACA WOOL, PLAY?
Alpaca is the finest wool – and I love wool. The series is called Écru, and the name sprang up during the idea phase because I knew I wanted to work with raw materials in nature’s own colour scale – actually the colours of the animals themselves. We selected three tones and combined them with dyed wool for the stripes. The wool comes from farms in Peru, where the animals are sheared and the wool is then sorted by hand according to colour. As a result there may be slight variations in the colours over time, but that’s part of the charm when working with natural materials. Woven alpaca wool has a nice fluidity, a bit like linen when you move it. It’s warm, but at the same time it has a cool surface and there’s a pleasant weight to the weave we’ve chosen.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU THAT SUSTAINABILITY IS AS IMPORTANT TO ELVANG AS DESIGN AND QUALITY?
We’re used to using and throwing away. When something breaks, we say: ”Oh well, I’ll buy a new one this weekend”. I simply won’t be a part of that. It has to be right, otherwise I can’t allow myself to create something new. That Elvang has a credible set-up, with close contact with suppliers and a knowledge of exactly how things are done, is therefore very important to me. Because it’s not only the manufacturer’s responsibility to think about sustainable materials and ethical production – it’s also the designer’s responsibility to create products that are worth the resources and effort involved. I’m not one of those people who think you should just give consumers what they want without question. Instead, we as designers should constantly strive to make something that will last long and last well, and we should do this in collaboration with manufacturers that we can trust to make the right choices.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE DESIGN PROCESS?
You might think it’s just a solid-colour throw with a few narrow stripes, so how long can it take? But it can actually take quite a long time. You test and discuss, consider options and try alternatives, constantly assessing whether you’re on the right path until you reach the point where you realise it’s there. In my work process, one of the key questions is always whether I would want the furniture, cup or textile I’m working on in my home. Yes or no! That determines whether it’s a project I want to embark upon. Later, the design comes to my home for a visit or lives for a period of time in my workshop, in my own light and where I have my own peace and quiet. It can be a weekend or several months. The crucial thing is that it is given a context. Only then can I really feel whether it works. It’s also about having respect for the time it takes for an object to be finished, which means that it needs to mature in a specific context while you try it out. It’s about both time and place.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT THE PROCESS?
It’s nerve-wracking but also exciting when it’s all up in the air and I have to find the common thread again. You can get lost in the process, which is why the first quick sketch or model is crucial to keep. This is often where the idea is hidden. Maybe I’m the only one who can see what the doodle represents, but it doesn’t matter, as long as I can find the idea – the spark that started it all.

WHAT IS GOOD DESIGN TO YOU? It’s basically everything we need as humans. I like the archetypes – a spoon or a cup, for example, is a vital tool that you simply need. The blanket is also an archetype. A woolen blanket has existed in all times and in all cultures, and it’s very satisfying for me to be able to design such an essential and fundamentally useful product.

Photographer: Jeppe Sørensen