The desire to explain the body of thoughts that inspire the production choices of the Company is behind the idea to create a series of little precious volumes, printed on paper produced with sustainable raw materials and pictured by graphic designers, illustrators and artists: the Quaderni Paola Lenti.
A project against the flow in this digital era that returns the tactile pleasure of printed-paper and follows the thread of a reasoning on the importance of producing in a sustainable way that began with the inception of the company.
After Twiggy and Diade and after Eres, the two new issues of the Quaderni, Mottainai and Rope, have just been released.
The first is named after a concept originating from rural culture in Japan and Buddhist teachings, Mottainai, and that can be translated as What a waste! It is the ability to create with what is at hand, without squandering further resources while respecting humankind and the environment. A philosophy that draws on age-old heritage that places high value on parsimony but also gratitude for what is owned.
This thought has guided Paola Lenti in a project of recovery of production leftovers, restoring the value of yarns and materials produced in-house.
Fabric offcuts and remnants, fragments of cords and selvedges are not considered waste anymore, but materials that still embed a value made of skills, passion, craftwork and furthermore, beauty.
The volume Mottainai retraces the steps of this process, which brought about the eponymous collection of rugs, armchairs and poufs presented during the recent Fuorisalone in Milan. The same philosophy behind this concept inspired Metamorfosi as well, the series of unique pieces penned by Brazilian designers Fernando and Humberto Campana, equally produced with waste materials.
The forth issue of the series illustrates the genesis of Rope, the high tech yarn that, twenty years ago, has marked Paola Lenti’s debut in the realm of outdoor furniture, accelerating the company development.
Rope is a high performing synthetic yarn, resistant to water, UV rays, bacteria and 100% recyclable – hence sustainable – that over the years has originated dozens of different textile structures – cords, braids, strips. With these products, the company has produced rugs, upholstery and seating pieces of several signature collections.
Rope has made the company well-known all over the world, thanks to the wide range of colours available and its unprecedented textural appearance, a characteristic that has made it equally ideal both outdoor and indoor.
Recently, it evolved into materials even more innovative like Twiggy and Diade. Twenty years after its introduction, Rope is still unique and inimitable. As yet, many of Paola Lenti’s products are recognizable thanks to this yarn.
Images in Mottainai are by Francesca Crisafulli and Carlo Nannetti – otherwise known as Mook – artists specialized in the creation of visual using all manner of recycled materials. The drawing in Rope are by Vessela Nikolova, whose visual research encompasses the area of fashion, design, photography and illustration.