LIORA MANNÉ'S LAMONTAGE INSPIRES TEXTILE COMPETITION, INNOVATION AT PHILADELPHIA UNIVERSITY
First prize in the Philadelphia University Textile Department competition hosted by Liora Manne, 'Blush Plush' takes the Lamontage process into the realm of apparel with a furry texture combining polyester and alpaca.
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NEW YORK -- A semester-long student competition hosted by Philadelphia University's Textile Design department and Liora Manné culminated with an awards presentation at Manne's showroom in the Decorator & Design building here on May 24 during Spring Market Week.
"We created this project with Philadelphia University that would challenge students to innovate with the Lamontage process -- to do something we have not done before," explained Liora Manné, designer and owner of Liora Manné/Lamontage. "We put 24 graduate and undergraduate textile engineering students into groups of three. They came here, visited, learned what we do with Lamontage, and were inspired. They then took it and created their own unique, new interpretations," she told RugNews.com.
Designer and founder of her namesake company, Liora Manné points out award-winning competition entries by students from the Philadelphia University Textile Design Department.
Manné and her design team met with students at the University throughout the semester, encouraging and tutoring them as they experimented with a variety of mixed media applications and technologies such as fiber optics, LED lighting and thermoplastic fibers to create an exciting new generation of textiles using the Lamontage process.
Students were provided a range of possible applications to choose from, including interactive functionalities, decorative materials with textures or dimension, materials that are recycled or have acoustical properties, and newly developed manufacturing processes. The teams were also required to identify a market need, propose product pricing, and prove the ability and method of manufacturing.
"Our textile, if you look at it, is not soft or drape-able. Most of what we do is floor and wall covering, and we have pillows which are softer," Manné said, noting that most of the student entries were soft applications from apparel to window curtains, and many used recycled fibers. Manné created her unique patented Lamontage process over 25 years ago, combining the ancient art of felting with modern technology and fibers.
While her in-house studio offers custom solutions for the patented Lamontage and LUSH applications for designers of residential and hospitality interiors, within the retail space Manné's Lamontage pillows, rugs, and mats all sell at a variety of big box and home goods retailers such as Restoration Hardware, Frontgate, Houzz and Wayfair.
DISTINGUISHED PANEL OF JUDGES
Adding to the prestige of the competition was a panel of judges from a variety of creative disciplines, among them several artists, designers and architects who have collaborated on rug collections with Liora Manné or specified Lamontage in their projects.
The impressive panel of judges for the Philadelphia University Textile innovation project hosted by Liora Manné includes (left to right): Patrick Sears, Wayne Koestenbaum, Greg Herringshaw, James Capozzi, Ken Wampler, Annie Block, Anne Spalter, Billie Tsien, and Charley Peck, posing with Liora Manné and Sarah Fowler of Liora Manné/Lamontage.
The roster of jurors included Annie Block deputy editor, Interior Design Magazine; James Capozzi, interior designer and founder of Jazzbo, Inc.; Greg Herringshaw, curator of the wall coverings department at the Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Museum; Wayne Koestenbaum, artist, writer, poet, and cultural critic; Charles Peck, president of rug and decorative accessories company, Trans-Ocean Imports; Patrick Sears, architect and director of the Rubin Museum; Anne Spalter, artist and author of the preeminent textbook on Digital Arts used at many top colleges such as RISD and Brown University; Ken Wampler, founder and director of Alpha Workshop; and Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, architects and founders of the eponymous firm whose distinguished work includes The Barnes Foundation and the Obama Foundation in Chicago.
Marcia Weiss, director of textile design at Philadelphia University (right foreground) at Liora Manné's studio with students attending the competition awards ceremony.
"We know that our students are incredibly talented; it is time the world knows it too," said Marcia Weiss, Philadelphia University's director of textile design and Harold Neuman Textile Design Chair. "By bringing in judges from within the industry and the world of art and design, we further widen the circle of connections our students can make. We couldn't be more pleased with this competition, and are so proud of the talent we're producing."
THE AWARD WINNERS
The May 24 awards presentation was strategically held during Spring Market Week when the D&D Building was brimming with designers and architects attending events and product premieres, ensuring further exposure of the students' work.
Three prizes were awarded to the top entries: First place, $500; second place, $400; and third place, $300. Judges, who had previously convened on May 9 to select the winners, were on hand to meet with students during the awards presentation.
Liora Manné and her design team pose with first prize winners in the Philadelphia University textile design competition. From Left: Jennie Jones of Liora Manné, students Alyssa Yanni and Busola Duroshola, Liora Manné, student Valerie Gibbins, and Sarah Fowler of Liora Manné.
First prize went to Valerie Gibbins, Busola Duroshola, and Alyssa Yanni, for their entry entitled 'Blush Plush'. Their goal was to create a lightweight and supple apparel fabric using the Lamontage process of layering polyester fibers and needle felting. Through experimentation with different fibers, they eventually combined polyester with alpaca for a gentle fuzzy texture.
The presentation board for Philadelphia University students' first prize winning 'Blush Plush' textiles features fabrics with a light faux fur effect.
Above: The second place winners in the Philadelphia University textile design competition included Jess Thies and Yi Liu at the awards events at Liora Manné's studio (and team member Megan Onuskanych, who was not present). Below, their award-winning 'Light up as you Wish' optical fabrics.
Second prize winners, Jess Thies, Yi Liu, and Megan Onuskanych named their project and unique product 'Light up as you Wish'. Combining a curtain fabric and light source in one material, their goal was to create a new market: optical curtains.
Third prize went to Becky Flax, Emily Ilsen and Vanessa Accime for their innovative surface featuring woven wire studded with LED lights and presented in four different designs.
'Lumo Web', a series of woven mesh designs embedded with LED lights, earned third prize honors for Philadelphia University students Becky Flax and Emily Olsen (above) and team member Vanessa Accime (not shown). Below, a close-up of 'Lumo Web'.
"It is so wonderful to be able to collaborate with Philadelphia University for this competition, and I want to thank Marcia Weiss for proposing the idea, the students, and our amazing group of judges," Manné told RugNews.com. "The students' passion is inspiring and their ingenuity makes me excited for this generation of designers." Manné, who has received many honors and awards in the textile industry, was a judge in Philadelphia University's textile design competition hosted by Sunbrella in 2016.
In addition to the winners, other entries in the competition will be on display at the Liora Manné New York City studio at 979 Third Avenue.