There’s a decided intrigue about boundary-crossing designers, in any case. One of our more exotic discoveries of late has been that of high-end fashion-turned-rug designer, Christoph Hefti. His curriculum virtue may come star-studded, endowed with references from the likes of iconic fashion designers such as Jean-Paul Gaultier and Dries Van Noten; but at heart Hefti is a tactile man, with a love for textiles, colour, and craftsmanship.

Christoph Hefti exhibited his foray into rug design at Dries Van Noten Little House, Los Angeles, November-December 2020. Photo: Andrew Lee

As his creative career enters the fourth dimension – that is, rug design – and we welcome him into the widespread arms of architecture and design, we thought we ought to get to know Christoph Hefti, his creative practice and inspirations a little more. Here’s what he shared:

Indesign: Can you briefly tell us about your practice?

Christoph Hefti: I design hand knotted rugs that I develop and produce in Nepal. The technique is traditional from tibet, the design contemporary, so I work in close exchange with small ateliers in the Kathmandu Valley. As I have always been a textile designer, I feel free to add printed curtains and other objects to my rugs. And apart from that, I still work as a textile designer in fashion.

Christoph Hefti designs on exhibition at Little House Dries Van Noten, Los Angeles, November-December 2020.

What inspired you to take your creative practice into design for flooring and/or interiors?

I was looking for an alternative medium to fashion. I have been working in fashion for a very long time. But I wanted to stay in textile, expand and deepen my knowledge within that field. To design rugs came naturally to me. It felt exciting and “right” to realise that my ideas could become rugs. And deep down I wanted to do something that is entirely under my control, with my name and my decisions.

“I was looking for an alternative medium to fashion… It felt exciting and “right” to realise that my ideas could become rugs.”

Christoph Hefti rugs on exhibition at Little House Dries Van Noten, Los Angeles, November-December 2020.

What appeals to you most about working in this dimension?

It feels liberating and rich to think of designing a huge piece of textile on the floor, that tells the owner(s) a story, and this not just for a season but for the next 200 years! And it feels nicely demanding too; the long process of making and of existence, the financial investment and the huge history that sits in the tradition of rug making. I experience every rug as an adventure, taking me creatively on a long journey. Yes, and I love the exchange with the craftspeople in Nepal. It really feels like one inspires the other and vice versa.

At heart Christoph Hefti is a tactile man, with a love for textiles, colour, and craftsmanship.

Explore the unique range of Christoph Hefti rug designs, and more at maniera.be

Christoph Hefti rug design: Swiss Mask, 2019, L 168 x W 115 cm Wool & Silk. Photo: Jeroen Verrecht

Christoph Hefti rug design: Insect, 2018, W 170 x L 230 cm, Wool & Silk. Photo: Jeroen Verrecht

“I experience every rug as an adventure, taking me creatively on a long journey.”

Christoph Hefti rug: 3 Foxes, 2020, L 324 x W 237 cm, Wool & Silk. Photo: Jeroen Verrecht