This September, Maharam introduces Bower, Compose, and Linger by Edith van Berkel, beginning a major collaboration in rugs with the Dutch industrial designer.
Maharam collaborates with individuals from across the design industry to invite fresh perspectives and foster creative exploration and exchange. A partner of Jongeriuslab, where she has fostered and developed a decades-long textile practice, van Berkel is an expert in the medium skilled at translating intricate artisanal techniques to an industrial scale. “Edith approaches design with immense knowledge and profound humility,” said Maharam’s design manager, Allyn Yu. “She truly expands our sense of what weaving can do.”
With Bower, Compose, and Linger, van Berkel sought to create rugs that offer nuanced tactility and warmth while celebrating the weaving practices of Kathmandu through a contemporary lens. Van Berkel’s depth of engagement with the region and its generational artisans facilitated sophisticated experimentation, while an emphasis on centralized production, renewable materials, and undyed yarn reflects a shared commitment to reducing environmental impact. Exemplifying this dedication, wild-harvested nettle—featured in Bower—is a sturdy, cellulosic fiber that is locally sourced and has a minimal footprint. It is watered naturally by the rains of monsoon season and grows without the environmental costs of traditional cultivation—including irrigation, soil degradation, and carbon release. “Nettle is a regenerative rhizome, with a complex network of roots,” van Berkel said, explaining her interest in the unconventional material.
The three rugs reflect van Berkel’s considered approach to material, color, and technique. Resilient nettle, along with the smooth wool of Argali sheep, contrasts with fresh pops of lustrous silk, while intricate hand embroidery and textural soumak weaves lend unexpected dimension to grounded designs. Bower’s flatweave celebrates the striation and variation of undyed nettle while Compose uses color blocking in tones like mauve and umber or moss and ash to create subtle contrast. Linger evolves an elemental dip-dye to create a vivid, two-tone gradient.
About Edith van Berkel
Edith van Berkel (b.1967, the Netherlands) is an industrial designer who embraces craft and collaborative processes in contemporary explorations of color, material, and technique. Based in Amsterdam, van Berkel works directly with artisans to experiment with distinct capabilities and traditional techniques. A graduate of Design Academy Eindhoven, she is a long-term partner of Jongeriuslab and collaborates with architects and designers, including Merk-X, Office Winhov, and Mina Abouzahra. Her rugs have been commissioned for Amsterdam’s Het Concertgebouw, Den Helder’s city hall, and as a part of the current large-scale renovations of the Binnenhof parliamentary complex in The Hague.