03 Jul Friday Files – Le Crin Horse Hair
A profoundly ingenious and versatile “noble material, [with] exceptional savoir-faire”
Le Crin has preserved an exceptional reputation since registration in 1787. Its unparalleled elegance utilizes horse hair to create soft, hard-wearing and solid high-end furnishings. Le Crin horse hair features in some of the world’s most prestigious dwellings, including the Louvre, Buckingham Palace, the White House and the Elysee Palace.
The esteemed horse hair-weaving takes place in a workshop in Sarthe, Challes in North-Western France. Le Crin is currently the only horse-weaving company in the world to produce this highly intricate and meticulous work by hand, and has done so over the past two centuries.
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Le Crin horse hair is a live and iridescent fiber, which exudes sensuality, tone and solidity. Despite its hard-wearing properties and strength, Le Crin manipulates an allegiance, which manages to simultaneously incorporate lightness and softness. Le Crin creates classic and contemporary collections, secured in modern times; suitable for net, curtains, seats, wall coverings or refined lighting, depending on the discretion of the decorator or architect.
The exquisite plumes of horse hair are sourced from the Mongolian steppes. Every three years, the hair is sorted and combed; preceded by each hair being individually placed on a 19th century Jacquard loom. The authenticity and delicacy of the produced fabrics is attested by the qualitative speed of three meters of fabric per loom per day.
Le Crin horse hair is combined with wool and sisal, linen, metallic thread or printed patterns to generate innovative effects of touch, shade or light. Blue, red and mauve tones are introduced to compliment the natural dyes, in widths of up to 140cm for net.
