More than a century’s expertise in the creation and manufacturing of exceptional fabrics meets the world-renowned design aesthete in a meaningful creative dialogue. After a successful first collaboration in 2020 — for the capsule collection Premier Acte produced and manufactured by Red Edition — Tristan Auer and Lelièvre Paris revisit the experience with an invitation to travel, for which we could think of no better guides.
Informed by their shared creativity and attention to detail for craftsmanship, the collection explores harmony and change through materiality. In creating the designs for NAJD, Tristan Auer sought inspiration in the colours and lines of the traditional architecture found in this area at the heart of Saudi Arabia. A vast expanse of desert land, unique for its prominence of natural earth and clay colours; its constructions carved with dizzyingly complex geometric shapes, epitomized by mashrabiyas; the striking juxtaposition of orthogonal structures and the random flowing lines of the desert with its endless dunes. It was this duality that inspired NAJD — a collection exploring a range of materials, from cotton Jacquard to linen and high-performance fabric, and designed to reveal the material’s extraordinary versatility.
HERITAGE
Conceived as the textile translation of an aerial view of the desert, HÉRITAGE is a 100% cotton Jacquard fabric. The irregularity ofthe landscape has been transcribed into contrasting weave patterns and slanting lines colliding with one another, like the ever-changing shapes of the desert dunes. The design is further enhanced by patches displaying a granular effect that brings contrast to the whole. Available in three variants: natural, autumnal and terracotta. | Design: Tristan Auer
View fabric pageColours number
3
KHAIMA
KHAÏMA (the Arabic word for the 'tent' traditionally used by nomads travelling in the desert) is the only high-performance material in the collection - a natural and soft touch polyester fabric. From beige to navy to terracotta, KHAÏMA is available in six colourways that share the same earth-toned base woven with pyramid-shaped motifs. | Design: Tristan Auer
View fabric pageColours number
6
DUNES
Now let us return to the ground to have a closer look at the dunes that have given their name to this design: a Jacquard with a pattern of stripes and curves evoking a desert skyline, but mixed with streaks of linen that add texture and a sense of modernity with tonal edges. The result is a rich, heavy and modern weave fabric that just hangs beautifully. Available in three colourways. | Design: Tristan Auer
View fabric pageColours number
3
DESERT
DESERT is a very soft chenille Jacquard fabric featuring delicate linen wefts evoking the curves and lines of the desert as faint waves. Available in two colourways, this fabric woven from heavy yarn incorporates plays on texture and light, subtly blending streaks of glossy and matt finishes. | Design: Tristan Auer
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2
SILLONS
A beautifully textured Jacquard, SILLONS boasts a gorgeous striped effect. The intricate pattern is the result of a meticulous choice of weft yarn, dyed in different colours to convey a sense of irregularity, almost randomness through vertical and horizontal striations. This cotton blend fabric comes in four subtle variants showcasing a playful exploration of weave patterns, pixels and light. | Design: Tristan Auer
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4
NOMADE
NOMADE is probably the design where Tristan Auer's architectural inspiration for NAJD is most palpable. The design consists of smallsquares arranged into trompe-l'oeil windows in a nod to the mashrabiyas typical of the area. Though the fabric looks embroidered with its raised effect, it is actually a true Jacquard, available in four colourways that echo the palette for the rest of the collection.
View fabric pageColours number
4