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FROMENTAL AND LALIQUE COLLABORATE
ON ‘HIRONDELLES’ A NEW SILK
WALLCOVERING DESIGN
British wallcovering atelier Fromental and French
crystal house Lalique have collaborated to
produce a stunning handcrafted silk wallcovering
which has been expertly hand painted and finely
embroidered by master craftspeople to cleverly
incorporate Lalique crystal.
‘Hirondelles’ is a highly decorated chinoiserie
pattern in a winding composition with open
spaces to accommodate Lalique Hirondelles
(swallows) and Dahlia’s in satin finish crystal.
The Hirondelles - Lalique’s 130t h anniversary
symbol - were a constant source of inspiration
for René Lalique and were at the centrepiece
of many jewels and decorative objects. In 1931,
René Lalique designed the Dahlia pattern to
adorn the face powder boxes which were part of
the beauty rituals of every woman in the ‘Belle
Époque’ period.
For the Fromental collaboration, Lalique has
created the classic Dahlia design in gold lustre –
sprayed with 18 carat gold dust.
The selected design has as silk background
brushed with iridescent pearl that mimics the
soft shimmer of frosted crystal.
The flowers are hand painted and embroidered
to give them a sense of movement, depth and
growth and embellished lastly with Lalique
Dahlias. At the Lalique factory, its ‘Meilleurs
Ouvriers de France’ (Best Craftsmen in France)
created the bespoke pieces for Fromental.
Each Dahlia is individually signed by hand and
then sprayed with 18 carat gold dust to get a
champagne lustre colour without the usual black
enamelled point at the heart to ensure a better fit
with the composition. The result is a vibrant, yet
balanced piece which creates an aura of serenity.
At the core of Fromental is a love for exquisitely
handcrafted products, tailored in quality and
detail. Master artisans work in Fromental’s
studio in Suzhou, the Chinese Imperial City
of embroidery, to bring to life the intricate
designs through constant experimentation and
innovation, creating product perfection.
“Lalique evokes the brilliance of luminosity and
we wanted to ensure we captured this in the
design we created for the Conduit Street store.
Historically, Chinese painting consists of stylised
forms from natural elements, so to fuse this
Lalique’s designs was an intriguing idea which we
felt we had to pursue. We used the structure of
one of our Chinoiserie patterns and adapted it to
contain the stylised Lalique dahlia and swallow.
In doing this, we were able to bring the shapes to
life.” Tim Butcher, co-founder Fromental.