I S SUE 81 tand ile Doshi Mahdavi 01 The cc-tapis stand at Salone del Mobile showing rugs by Doshi Levien and India Mahdavi 02 Loopy square, Clara von Zweigbergk x cc-tapis 03 Swirl Spring, Univers Uchronia x cc-tapis 04 Onda Onda areia, Charles-Antoine Chappuis x cc-tapis ergk x nivers is eia, pis 02 03 cc-tapisShown at Salone del Mobile during Milan Design Week, a collection of designer creations tells a story about Indian craft, past and present. The results are intriguing At Salone del Mobile in April, the stand of cc-tapis was dedicated to one project—The Grand Tour. This epic tour de force of a collection is in fact a journey into the weaving of India and, in the nine di erent designs included, multiple techniques and materials are investigated. ‘The idea for the cc-tapis Grand Tour began to take shape when we met Mapi Millet, a great professional who has been in the business for more than forty years. She introduced us to the places, people and traditions which define the heritage of Indian craftsmanship,’ explains Fabrizio Cantoni, one of cc’s three partners. ‘With Mapi on board, her experience and knowledge of the many fascinating facets of the hand-woven techniques led us to develop cc-tapis Grand Tour.’ For the company, the Grand Tour has created opportunities including expanding artisanal possibilities and also, in the words of Cantoni, ‘opening the world of contemporary design to a wider community.’ 04 The collection collaborates with eight international creatives, coming from di erent backgrounds, while one rug is from the cc design studio. ‘Travelling across the northern region of the country and working closely with Mapi and with Indian artisans we were able to explore a multitude of techniques, such as kilim, dhurrie and petit point—interpreting traditional hand-weaving methods with a cutting-edge design approach,’ says Cantoni. Doshi Levien’s Raag rugs are dhurries with a grid pattern and colourful blocks in pile, while Mae Engelgeer’s Omote series and Chiara A n d r e a t t i ’s Vice Versa are striped, hand-loomed designs. India Mahdavi’s wool Criss Cross rug is made with hand-tufting and chain stitch, while the super fun Swirl design by Univers Uchronia, and Clara von Zweigbergk’s Loopy, are both crochet. Swiss-Brazilian artist Charles-Antoine Chappuis opted to make jute dhurries in earthy tones and Patricia Urquiola’s rugs are petit point. With the designs using diverse techniques and having multiple signatures, the collection is playful and tells a great story about craftmanship, garnering much favour at Salone. www.cc-tapis.com