Reinventing together the surfaces of life
- Elif and Davide are a couple in life and craft
- They work with designers and fashion creators
- Knotted surfaces are at the centre of their work
Craafts atelier, founded by Elif Malkoclar and Davide Dell'Acqua who are a couple in work, art and life, has specialised in handcrafting knotted surfaces for fashion and interiors for 20 years. Their venture is the result of ongoing research in high craftsmanship. Elif and Davide – a “double A” team, as they say – are both architects and artisans. They put their original know-how and creativity to use in collaborations with the high fashion industry and designers all over the world. Located in the heart of Tuscany, Craafts was born as a studio in 2013 from the experience of Ebi Handmade Accessories, and lives on the line between art and crafts, design and fashion, by recovering and revisiting ancient craft techniques, made contemporary, and thanks to a meticulous study of materials.
Interview
- Why have you built an archive of swatches?
- Elif: In over 20 years we have created an archive of over 5,000 samples. This is useful to give an idea of the different types of weaving that we can create. Their classification is demanding, being based on material, weight and technique, but it is a precious work tool.
- How does it actually work?
- Davide: Our archive is a huge reservoir to draw on to choose the most suitable weave for each type of product and based on the specific needs of each project, whether it is exclusively ours or a collaboration with interior designers and high fashion houses.
- How do you collaborate with them?
- Davide: Collaboration can be at various levels, some are very close, some less. They range from the creative stimulus, to technical and creative consultancy, to an equal collaboration in the project phase, as well as research on materials and engineering.
- Do you have a favourite material?
- Elif: I like designing materials. Most of all I love the repetition module, the geometric progression, accessing a particular state of mind when you knot and unwind. I am writing a book on the knot and would like to propose the idea for a choreography based on the knot.
Elif Malkoclar & Davide Dell'Acqua are master artisans: they began their career in 2004 and they started teaching in 2015
Where
Elif Malkoclar & Davide Dell'Acqua
