OTTUNO is a textile design studio devoted to natural dyeing. We create interior throws and cushions in hemp and linen. Produced in limited editions, each piece is made entirely by hand, dated and numbered as a unique piece. OTTUNO was launched in 2016 in Lausanne by Stéphanie Bédat and Carlo Parmigiani. OUR VALUES TRUE COLORS. Flowers, leaves and bark are the heart of our project. Shining or muted, robust or delicate, they all have lively color in them. Each creation has its own color, character and authenticity. Used in their original state or in the form of pigments, colors offer unique chromatic qualities with innumerable expressions. CLOSE TO NATURE. We wish to develop the richness and potentials of nature and put them within easy reach. It is an attempt to return to a more intimate relationship with nature through a domestic item in daily use, without nostalgia. FABRICS. Our favorite textiles are linen and hemp, due primarily to their outstanding properties: natural fibers par excellence, they are both resistant and soft. When dyed with natural colors, linen and hemp develops fascinating intensities and chromatic depths that are infinitely variable. Our textiles come from France, Belgium and Italy. HANDMADE, SLOW MADE -- Ours creations are made through a long and slow process. Natural dyeing requires time and patience. The duration issue is essential, whether in the preparation of the fabric or the dye baths. There is a correct time for producing each particular color treatment. If too short, there is little effect; if too long, the nuances and peculiarities tend to disappear. “Slow made” also emphasizes know-how in creative handicrafts. It is, in our view, a necessary alternative to mass production and consumption. ABSTRACT LANDSCAPES. More than simply representing a decorative motif, we seek to create an image that is vibrant and open. Like an abstract landscape changing according mood, light or perception. CREATIVE PROCESS DYEING. We only dye with natural colors. We select the rawest textiles, as minimally primed as possible. After cutting and washing, we soak them in two different baths for several hours. This operation, called mordanting, is paramount in the creative process because it determines the precise fixation of the color and its fastness. Once dyed, fabrics are thoroughly washed and rinsed in order to remove excess material. MOTIFS. Our creations are related to the technique of shibori itajime. This technique serves to shield various portions of the fabric from the dye by folding and pressing it. We intend our approach to be intuitive in the creative process and controlled in its result--but without claiming any particular tradition. When we created our earliest dyes, we were convinced that it was necessary to continue in this logic: do and let it happen. What is too orderly, or too symmetrical, or too "clean," we simply put aside. WHY OTTUNO? Initially, we wanted to reconnect with basic materials, to draw from the sources of nature, and to play on the subtlety of color and the flexibility of material on small pieces of fabrics. After a few attempts with inks on paper, we found it necessary to adopt other formats, develop more visually striking motifs, and use water-resistant colors. Quite accidentally, we discovered natural dyeing and experimented with an initial "kit" of colors. Then all of the evidence fell into place: we had to develop volume, define design relationships, and choose an object pleasing in both sight and touch. Thus we created our first cushions. We could have stopped there, having made some gifts as well as a few sporadic discoveries. But we had found a real pleasure that we then turned into a project: give a certain standing to our prized experiments, build up a series of items into a kind of corpus, and finally define a brand in its own right: OTTUNO - a name we invented to develop a round and affirming sound. Lausanne, June 2023. HD photos on demand. Contact : Stéphanie Bédat-Parmigiani ++41 (0)78 610 51 65 PARMIGIANI & CO Côtes-de-Montbenon 5 1003 Lausanne ottuno.com // info@ottuno.com