Sous-bois

Wool is an animal fibre, most often derived from sheep fleece. Wool was already being spun as early as 5,000 BC. In Roman times, wool, leather and linen were the main materials used to make clothes. With the progressive development of mechanical processes and the evolution of breeding techniques, wool became the economic lung of several countries in the Xth century, and again in the XIIth. Renowned for its thermal and sound insulation properties, wool also offers the advantage of absorbing moisture. It is a noble and timeless material, used from time immemorial for its strength and durability. PINTON uses local wool with shorter carded fibres, which make it fluffier and give it more volume, or a specific type of wool from New-Zealand with long combed fibres that are more resistant to heavy traffic. Both types of wool are spun (carded or combed) and dyed in the spinning plant located in Felletin. Whether they are made in 100% pure virgin wool or blended with other materials like linen, silk, bamboo, leather or many others, PINTON wool rugs and carpets bring comfort and quality.

Like flowers brightening a wheatfield and giving extra charm, inserts embellish our rugs. They bring an original and precious touch, using threads in materials as unexpected as lurex, phosphorescent fibres, metal, vinyl or leather. An insert is a different material woven into a rug. It can also be made of beads, ribbons or rivets. Inserts add a whole new dimension to a rug and enhance a texture or material, or play with the light in a new way, creating unusual contrasts. Inserts are a perfect illustration of the skills applied by our craftspeople to the production of our Couture rugs. They offer the artists and designers with whom we collaborate many possibilities and a vast areas for exploration and experimentation. Facilitated by the PINTON expertise and the company’s love of innovation, this process allows the artists’ imagination to roam freely. It gives them the opportunity to reinvent materials and create outstanding rugs, both tactile and visually appealing, generating curiosity and admiration.

A few thousand years before Christ, Roman, Chinese, Persian and Egyptian craftsmen used to cover in gold leaf the threads that they were going to weave for the rich and powerful. Later, weavers used gold and silver threads to embellish tapestries woven out of wool or silk. These threads were difficult to work and extended production times. They required particular skills, passed from generation to generation. From the XVIIth century onward, new techniques made it possible to create very fine metal threads able to go through fabric. Today, the metals used with textile fibres are silver, gold and copper, but also aluminium, iron or stainless steel, and come in every colour. In PINTON’s Couture collection, these fabulous threads are inserted alongside traditional wool or silk yarns, to create poetic and graphic pieces imagined in partnership with contemporary artists and designers.

Born in 1975 in Tulle, in South-West France, Caroline Magre is a graduate from the École Nationale des Arts Décoratifs of Paris. In the early 2000s, she cut her teeth in major Parisian luxury firms where she worked alongside great figures of the fashion industry, who taught her the importance of precision and perfect execution, always adding an original twist. In 2010, she created her own design studio, Whitepaperstudio. Meticulous and creative, she pursued her career with galleries and museums in Paris and worked as an art director. In addition to the know-how gained over the years, she developed a very personal vision that she has been executing successfully throughout her career.

Caroline Magre brings this wealth of experience to the PINTON heritage.

The hand tufting technique is a process combining centuries-old skills and modern weaving tools. The canvas is perfectly stretched over an upright loom and the craftsperson transfers by hand the future design of the rug with the utmost precision. Threads are inserted manually, one by one, working with a gun on the back of the canvas, following the colours, the drawing and the different tuft heights. PINTON was one of the first manufactories to use the gun tufting technique to produce some of its rugs and carpets and is the only French workshop offering very high quality tufted rugs. With this technique, production times are reduced compared to the knotted stitch weave or point noué. Finally, hand tufting offers a large range of possible depths. Carving is the technique that consists in sculpting the wool and creating textures within the woven rug. Since the early 1990s, PINTON has been specialising in the production of hand tufted rugs for which it also collaborates with famous designers and artists.