Your cart is empty
Continue shopping
THE MARBLED PRINT
Since summer 2015, LEMAIRE has been developing original prints derived from marbled papers and watercolors. The spontaneous quality of these techniques gives birth to expressive and fluid patterns. Look closely, and you might see a wide open sky, shifting landscapes, fabulous animals or even faces. The arrangement of these various patterns, with their nebulous outlines and singular textures, compose a panorama of optical illusions to spark your imagination and reflect back your own playfulness. LEMAIRE and Atelier La Folie have reimagined classical decorative marbling, simplifying traditional patterns into more refined, contemporary motifs.
AKARI IN THE PLEATED SHIRT DRESS AND BLOUSE
ATELIER LA FOLIE
For the past seven years, Atelier La Folie has been making marbling-inspired prints for LEMAIRE. Located in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, just a few steps from the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Atelier La Folie takes place under mansard roofs and amongst books, with a schoolyard as its soundtrack. There are two tables, a collection of pigments (Walnut stain, Helios red, Mars yellow, Vine black, etc.), shaggy brushes, combs and drawing boards filled with years of experiments and discoveries. Atelier La Folie also restores old books and documents. « My work uniform is this Indigo apron and this old rag to wipe my brushes. I usually work barefoot in total silence. »
FRÉDÉRIQUE FROM ATELIER LA FOLIE WORKING ON SUMINAGASHI PAPER AT HER PARISIAN STUDIO
THE MARBLING TECHNIQUE
Marbled paper first appeared in the West as souvenirs brought by travelers returning from the East in the 16th century. Marbling later became one of the major decorative techniques in bookbinding, used on both august tomes and simple booklets. For a long time, the technique remained mysterious, being both challenging to learn and practiced according to strict, unchanging principles. It consists of floating paint on the surface of a liquid, a mix of guar gum and seaweed powder, then manipulating. it with a paintbrush or fine pointed implement to create a pattern. The print is then made by placing the paper directly onto the surface of the liquid. The marbler’s art and sensibility is expressed through their ability use each colour according to its own properties. It is necessary to master the "air drafts” while some colors might be “temperamental”, meaning the artist might need to go easy on the “flighty” yellow, add the right amount of “emotive” red and bring out the “shy” blue.
MARBLED PAPER SWATCH TEST FROM FRÉDÉRIQUE OF ATELIER LA FOLIE
LIN YAN IN HER STUDIO
Lin says: “Creation is also a process of communication with material. When I hold the traditional Chinese handmade paper which is the material just like me, it is as comfortable and pleasant as wearing a garment that would perfectly express my personality."
FRÉDÉRIQUE APPLYING COLORED INK ONTO HER SUMINAGASHI SWATCH
SUMINAGASHI
The marbled print from the Fall-Winter 2021 collection is inspired by Japanese prints. The serpentine patterns winding through the print arise from a process called suminagashi (墨流し – « flowing ink »), a Japanese marbling technique where ink is floated in pure water then transferred onto a sheet of paper gently placed on the water’s surface.
This pattern is then printed on a dense and dry poplin weave cotton. This season the marbled print adorns three pieces of the women's wardrobe: an overcoat, a vareuse dress, and a vareuse top.
INK FLOATING ON WATER
FRÉDÉRIQUE APPLYING COLORED INK ONTO HER SUMINAGASHI SWATCH
SUMINAGASHI
The marbled print from the Fall-Winter 2021 collection is inspired by Japanese prints. The serpentine patterns winding through the print arise from a process called suminagashi (墨流し – « flowing ink »), a Japanese marbling technique where ink is floated in pure water then transferred onto a sheet of paper gently placed on the water’s surface.
This pattern is then printed on a dense and dry poplin weave cotton. This season the marbled print adorns three pieces of the women's wardrobe: an overcoat, a vareuse dress, and a vareuse top.
INK FLOATING ON WATER
HITOMI AND HER DAUGHTER AKARI WEARING THE FALL-WINTER 2021 MARBLED PRINT PIECES AT THE ATELIER LA FOLIE STUDIO
PHOTOS BY: ESTELLE HANANIA. VIDEO BY: LUNA PICOLI-TRUFFAUT