The Loom Meets the Workbench | Cloth, Craft, Cape Town Furniture Week
A blend of cotton, wool, mohair, and silk came together in the Miro Cloth. Read about the collaboration with James Mudge Furniture Studio that inspired this cloth and the furniture that developed from the meeting of Mungo’s loom and James Mudge’s workbench for Cape Town Furniture Week (CTFW).
“Both the loom and the workbench sit within traditions that have existed for centuries, which brings a similar challenge. How to create something that feels distinct while still understanding what’s come before.”
– James Mudge, Creative Director
James Mudge Furniture Studio Harrington chairs with Mungo Miro cloth
This is the fourth edition of the Cape Town Furniture Week, CTFW,
a four day annual design festival championing design, craftsmanship, innovation and sustainability. Showcasing and initiating conversation between the public, broader industry, and design peers.
“CTFW is a wonderful platform and opportunity to see the talent in South Africa. Having likeminded people together can only mean opportunity for the industry.”
– Tessa Harding, Mungo Creative Director
True to CTFW’s aims to bring peers together, the festival was the catalyst for the collaboration between Mungo and James Mudge Furniture Studio, supporting an approach for the brands that allowed them to push their products into new territory informed by shared values.
“James Mudge’s work stands out for its craftsmanship and attention to detail. We also share a personal connection; we grew up in the same town in the Garden Route, so we’ve long followed his work. That, along with a shared design sensibility and commitment to local production, made the collaboration a natural fit.”
– Tessa Harding, Mungo Creative Director
Both brands are imbued with intergenerational values of hands-on, independent creativity that carried through the design and shaped the collaboration. With a shared responsibility to honour their respective legacies and use traditional methods, whilst keeping design relevant for today and considering the needs of the modern home.
“Both (our parents) have built something meaningful, and as the next generation we’re continuing that legacy in our own way. Working within traditional disciplines, but still pushing boundaries and evolving them.”
– Tessa Harding, Mungo Creative Director
The Miro cloth upholstery a blend of cotton, wool, mohair and silk
This melding together of tradition and innovation, functionality and creativity, is part of what makes these brands so distinct. And the tension between this is where good design happens – a shared thread between the loom and the workbench.
While Mungo textiles tend towards layering and expression, in contrast James Mudge Furniture Studio’s holds a considered minimalism that underlines the form of each piece. This welcome challenge; to find the balance between each others’ aesthetic, inspired a newness for them both.
The ultimate result was a playful groundedness; with the Miro cloth bringing depth of character and the chair’s form providing a calm anchoring.
“We knew the fabric would feature a number of different colours and it was a great opportunity for us to do something fun and experiment with painted finishes to complement the fabric.”
– James Mudge, Creative Director
For Mungo it was important to work with wool and mohair, fibres traditionally used in upholstery and known for their durability, warmth and strength. Given the quality of South African wool and mohair, it was an obvious and meaningful choice.
Installation for Cape Town Furniture Week – Photographs; CAPE TOWN FURNITURE WEEK / Matt Slater
Collaboration by nature is a process that asks for some courage; pushing each to go explore outside of the known. The best collaborations both push you forward whilst supporting that newness. The result surpasses what can be achieved on one’s own. A little bit of a stretch – but worth doing! The Miro cloth and these beautiful pieces are testament to that process.
As James says, “when the alignment is right, the collaboration flows smoothly…”
