Design file: Re Rag Rug
Swedish textile designers Katarina Evans and Katarina Brieditis produce rugs made from discarded fabric. Their first 12 are being exhibited at the Hong Kong Design Institute
Katarina Evans: "In 2003, we were working on a project called Do Redo, where we made accessories out of woollen sweaters. This was a travelling exhibition; we published a book and we held workshops for thousands of people. That experience and our background in the textile industry led us to this."
Katarina Brieditis: "It's also the sustainability issues that we find interesting."
Evans: "The more the textile industry grows, the more waste products there are. Large pieces, like a rug, consume a lot of material."
Brieditis: "We also wanted to develop craft techniques. We wanted to see how we could challenge the old way of thinking in crafts. And we wanted to create jobs for people in the craft industry."
Brieditis: "We did everything but weave, because a Swedish rag rug is always woven. We wanted to give it a facelift. [Theirs] are stitched, embroidered, knitted, crocheted, braided, pleated, threaded, layered. [Except for one], we haven't dyed any fabric, we've just used it the way we received it."
Evans: "That was a goal - that we should not add any chemicals."
