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One of the Craeft Pilots – “Design” – is dedicated to exploring collaboration between traditional craft techniques and design, and how digital tools can embrace and enhance this relationship. By bridging tradition with design, this exchange is positioning crafts firmly within the context of contemporary practices, showing that they are a vital part of our future.
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Watch the interview with Arnaud Dubois, anthropologist from CNAM, introducing the Pilot.
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When talking about crafts and design, we must address the fact that traditional crafts are often exploited by luxury brands. Particularly when it comes to patterns and inspirations from the textile sphere. Protecting craft traditions and ensuring intellectual property rights for craft practices is therefore crucial.
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One important step forward is the use of Geographical Indications (GIs) to safeguard craft products.
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To learn more and share your opinion, join the Craeft Community Portal!
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While we start to explore and study this creative and mutually enriching combination, we wish to share some of the incredible examples.
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Aubusson Tapestry (France)
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The creation of an Aubusson tapestry is a deeply collaborative process between the artist and the weaver. The process begins with the artist, who proposes an original sketch—often in diverse formats and styles—that serves as the conceptual foundation for the tapestry. From this sketch, the weaver begins a series of exploratory weaving attempts, conducting detailed research into colours, materials, and weaving techniques. The weaver may offer interpretative suggestions to the artist, ensuring that the final work honours the original design while adapting it to the tactile and visual language of wool.
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©Thierry Caron. Drawing exploration.
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Once both parties agree on the approach, the artist creates a full-scale preparatory drawing called a "cartoon". This is a mirror image of the original sketch, designed to guide the weaver from behind the warp threads as the tapestry is woven from the back. The cartoon plays a crucial role in translating two-dimensional imagery into rich, textured surfaces.
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©Thierry Caron. Studying the colours, weaving technique etc.
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Together, the artist and the weaver transform a vision on paper into a vibrant textile work.
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Doppia Firma (Italy)
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An initiative by Fondazione Cologni with Living Corriere della Sera, under the patronage of the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship, Doppia Firma brings together designers and master artisans to create unique works that carry a "double signature" (doppia firma). Each piece results from the fusion of contemporary design and traditional craftsmanship, created through a unique pairing of a designer and a master craftsperson.
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“Doppia Firma is a project that brings together European design innovation and the tradition of great artisanship by creating a unique collection of original, refined objects. The aim is to give birth to new artworks that arise from a cross-fertilisation of a design culture open to contemporary vision and a savoir-faire that is a genuine expression of territorial uniqueness.”
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©Doppia Firma.
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Sewn Signs Association (Romania)
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©A SewnSigns, Semne Cusute
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Sewn Signs Association advocates for the recognition and preservation of the cultural heritage embodied in traditional textiles, a constant inspiration for designers. If you feel that fashion can be redefined or adapted to the values you stand for, you can always go back in time to start again.
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Traditional textiles offer valuable, democratic lessons for all designers and craft enthusiasts. This is because they are based on sustainable practices, from the fibre to the finest detail.
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These garments were sizeless, genderless, timeless, made from linen, hemp, silk and wool. Imagined as the most pragmatic, zero waste cutting patterns, they can be enriched with a mix of colours and needlework techniques. They are a feast for the eyes, proving that conscious fashion can be full of joy and meaning. These creations leave room for personal expression, identity and symbolism.
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The vibrant community of over 56,000 members is ready to share their support and experience for anyone curious to (re)connect with the Carpathian or Balkan spirit.
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Zanat Konjic Wood Carving (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
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Zanat, based in Konjic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, preserves a specific hand-carving technique inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017. Passed down through generations, this craft is defined by detailed motifs carved into furniture and decorative objects.
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By collaborating with international designers, Zanat transforms centuries-old craftsmanship into modern design statements. At the heart of Zanat’s practice is a unique partnership model where skilled woodcarvers work hand-in-hand with designers to develop furniture and objects that honour tradition while addressing the aesthetics and functionality of modern living.
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©ZANAT. Unna Table by Monica Förster
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The CRAEFT Consortium
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