The assembly process of fur-pelts..

High tech to the rescue of a traditional material

Leather-wool assemblies

Our leather-wools are modern art works that are new in the US and EU markets. They are fiber works but what is new in our approach is that the fibers remain attached to the leather... The general practice in fiber works consisted since centuries to shear the fibers from the leather and then to spin the fibers into yarn, the yarn becoming then the raw material of choice for fiber works which ultimately was responsible for the well known lint and dust problems in woven rugs... The road of evolution that we embarked on was to abandon spinning for the original material, the tanned skin or the leather-wool material. In so doing, we eliminate lint and dust and our leather-wools have also a far denser and softer pile...

High tech rescues tradition

Our approach is totally new. We use the fibers as they are. This means as they are naturally attached to the leather. This became possible with the maturation and convergence of 2 technologies:
- on one side, the leather tanning techniques allowing for soft and supple leather that can be washed.
- on the other side, the sewing techniques allowing to sew pieces of leather together.
The convergence of those 2 techniques became only feasible recently...

Higher quality with high tech + tradition

* Higher tear resistance of the fibers in Leather-wool rugs' versus woven rugs.
* With leather-wool rugs, no more lint and dust...
* Denser pile and softer touch...
* Leather-wool rugs are multi-functional. They can invariably be used as:
- floor rugs
- wall hangings, tapestries
- throws
- sleeping mats or bed-covers.

A rug comes together...

Raw material:

Relying on an economy with strong export business in livestock, especially sheep and wool by-products, the Australian government encouraged breeding development to meet a broader range of worldwide consumption. The government actually funded research and development of new tanning techniques and geneticists undertook the breeding of lambs with coats that have thinner wool fibers. Wool with the thinnest fibers fetch the same price as gold, per weight unit! The best grade of lambskin is washable and very soft, with a very special "silky touch". In Japan, the skins are used as sleeping mats.

Artistic patterns:

A one-of-a-kind rug pattern is created by a Belgian artist and immediately sent through the internet for rug assembly. The pattern is printed on a full scale pattern overlay that helps in the cutting of the different design components. Some of our more complex designs total over 350 components to be assembled together.

Coloration:

First grade lambskins purchased in Australia are dyed in a range of 30 colors. Each skin is dyed in only one color.  Later it will be cut into the components of a specific pattern. The colors are set using a special German chemical process that insures no running and a lifetime of consistent beauty.

Cutting/sewing:

It is not enough to merely lay the pattern over the colored lambskins and cut. Actually, this is where know-how and craftsmanship come in to assure a real quality product. Each skin has indeed a pattern and texture character of its own. The lay and weave of the fibers in one color need to match that of the adjoining color pieces. Sewing is then done carefully to ensure that the rug' surface has no gaps or mismatched pattern segments.

Quantities:

- Artist leather-wools: each unique artistic pattern is reproduced a maximum of 6 times and a minimum of 2 times in the final leather-wool configuration. (Limited Edi each unique artistic pattern is reproduced a maximum of 30 times in the final leather-wool configuration. (Limited Edition of 01/02 to 01/06)
- Designer leather-wools: each unique artistic pattern is reproduced a maximum of 30 times in the final leather-wool configuration. (Limited Edition of01/30)
This ensures that our accent rugs are truly limited in quantity. Iit is also a practical solution that ensures adequate available lambskins to produce a wider variety of designs. The annual quota of available Australian lambskins is limited and since only a very small fraction are of the "First Grade" choice, care is taken to produce as many different , new patterns as possible.

Characteristics:

Our accent rugs are available in one standard size:  4x6'. This standard size is our One Design Unit configuration.  Different sizes are then obtained by assembling Multiple One Design Unit...
The thin fibers at 40,000 to 60,000 fibers/sq.in., and cutting process used, mean less dust than woven rugs. The dying process and treatment against bacteria ensure minimal allergic reactions.