LA MANUFACTURE COGOLIN
A CENTURY OF RUG MAKING IN THE GULF OF SAINT TROPEZ
I. A HERITAGE STORY IN THE HEART OF THE VAR
1. IN THE LAND OF THE MISTRAL
II. BEHIND THE SCENES OF AN EXCEPTIONAL SAVOIR-FAIRE
1. THE ATELIERS: A HERITAGE FROM ANOTHER ERA
2. FROM THE SILKWORM TO THE LOOM
2. THE SECRETS OF CONFECTION
3. THE MUSIC OF WEAVING
4. BESPOKE DESIGN
5. THE FIRST SIGNED COLLECTIONS
6. THE TRANSATLANTIC ERA: THE VATICAN, GRAND TRIANON, AND THE WHITE HOUSE
3. THE ESSENCE OF WEAVING
7. A CULTURE OF FAMILY TIES
8. IN THE 2000S, SAFEGUARDING SAVOIR-FAIRE
4. THE ARTISANS OF LA MANUFACTURE COGOLIN
III. WEAVING INTERIORS
IV. A MODERN ATELIER
1. INDIA MAHDAVI, JARDIN INTÉRIEUR COLLECTION, 2015
1. JEAN-PIERRE TORTIL: NEW BEGINNINGS
2. CHARLES ZANA, VARIAMEN COLLECTION, 2016
2. SARAH HENRY: A NEW VISION
3. STÉPHANE PARMENTIER, NORD/SUD COLLECTION, 2018
4. ELLIOTT BARNES, PERSONNALITÉS COLLECTION, 2019
3. RECONNECTING WITH THE PAST
5. CLIENT PERSPECTIVES: JACQUES GRANGE, SANDRA BENHAMOU, PIERRE YOVANOVITCH, DANIEL ROMUALDEZ
1. IN THE LAND OF THE MISTRAL
The location of the Cogolin atelier has undoubtedly influenced the foundations of this company whose name evokes a regional French craft throughout the four corners of the world. Calais is synonymous with embroidery. Limoges with porcelain. And Cogolin with rugs. That the village of Cogolin would become the home of a weaving atelier was destined, influenced by its history, its geographical location, its charm. The villages of the Moors, perched between Collobrières and Grimaud, a small town of olive trees, a medieval castle, a Romanesque basilica, and houses with pointed doors, evoke a distant world. From the Chartreuse de la Verne monastery, the view extends to Saint-Tropez. In La Garde-Freinet, when the mistral blows, the sky is bluer than
the sea.
The pretty and picturesque commune of Cogolin is located midway between Saint-Tropez and Sainte-Maxime, extending from East to West from the Massif des Maures to the Mediterranean Sea. On the shores of the Grande Bleue, beaches and marinas infuse a relaxed summer ambiance just a few kilometers from the city center. Benefiting from an ideal climate, mild in the winter and quite warm in summer, Cogolin is surrounded by forests of chestnut trees, cork oaks used for making wine corks, agricultural land, and mulberry trees on which silkworms were bred.
This medieval city’s past is still present today, in the clocktower formerly accessible by a ramp and a drawbridge; its numerous fountains, including those
6. THE TRANSATLANTIC ERA: THE VATICAN, GRAND TRIANON, AND THE WHITE HOUSE
The beginning of the twentieth century was an era marked by great transatlantic ocean liners crisscrossing the oceans, carrying with them a world of dreams and luxury captured by their respective names: Lafayette, Champlain, Stockholm, Ville d’Alger, Comte de Grasse, Liberté, Îlede-France in 1927, and Jean Mermoz from the Fraissinet Cyprien Fabre company among them. And no one could forget the Normandie in 1935, for which the Cogolin atelier produced several rugs. In six months, the atelier produced a 98 square-meter handknotted rug to cover the dance floor of the main salon, depicting two stalks of gladiolas and arums in wicker baskets, made from seven million knots. After its delivery, Jean Lauer asked his weavers
how to thank them for the hours they spent on such a work. They simply replied, “To be invited to your home.” Because recognition, a value that has largely been lost today, is a driving force at La Manufacture Cogolin ... an inexpensive but critical reward that is part of the company’s DNA.
Throughout the 20th century, the atelier also furnished hundreds of works for institutions such as the Mobilier National (from the 1960s to the mid-1980s), embassies (Washington, Ottawa, Bonn, Cairo ...), castles, yachts and private residences. For the Vatican, Cogolin wove a rug measuring five by six meters. For the grand salon and the reception room of the Chancellery of the Legion of Honor, it delivered the carpets named the Cohorts and the Apocalypse. The
Rugs designed for the ocean liner Normandie
2. THE SECRETS OF CONFECTION
Arug from La Manufacture Cogolin is easily identifiable. First, the patterns of the rugs are graphic, regular and often repetitive. Another characteristic that one can savor when caressing the surface is the quality of the yarns: thick, soft and natural, and dyed to order. From the beginning, two major color themes have emerged - one dominated by the natural white rugs that pay homage to 1960s fashion, while the other is inspired by the chromatic palette of the 1930s to 1950s and the colors of the surrounding Var. A Cogolin rug can also be recognized by its thick, plush quality, especially the patterned rugs whose design is created in looped or cut pile, in relief over a visible ground. Another distinctive sign are the seams revealed
when the rugs are turned over, as many rugs are made by assembling several 70-centimeter wide panels that are sewn together by hand. Finally, there are the finishes: a handsewn hem for the high-pile rugs; a woven edge or a hand-sewn binding for the flat-woven rugs that are often woven in raffia. Here, high standards are key and can be seen at all stages of production, all of which are completed on site, from arrival of the yarn to the delivery of the finished product. All the yarns are composed of 100% natural fibers except for those used for outdoor rugs. They are spun according to the atelier’s specifications, from exceptional raw materials including wool from New Zealand, raffia from Madagascar, and linen from northern France and
Although the rugs from the Cogolin atelier are woven on century-old looms, they have always had a modern sensibility. This is what Jean-Pierre Tortil understood when he was entrusted with the management of the company in 2011, followed by Sarah Henry in 2014, whose solid experience within the world of rugs came from the Tai Ping Carpets group, owner of the brand since 2010. Both have invested their energy and vision with equal passion, never losing sight of the essence of the brand since its inception.
TROPEZ
Scenography at Sketch in London (September 2021) with rugs and fabrics based on designs by Christian Bérard for La Manufacture Cogolin
FROM THE CENTER OF THE GULF OF SAINT-TROPEZ, LA MANUFACTURE COGOLIN OFFERS AN AUTHENTIC GLIMPSE INTO ANOTHER ERA. HERE, SINCE 1924, GENERATIONS OF WOMEN HAVE PRACTICED THE SAME WEAVING TECHNIQUES ON ANTIQUE LOOMS, EMBODYING FRENCH ARTISANAL EXCELLENCE.
THESE PAGES UNVEIL THE SECRETS AND TREASURES OF THE CENTENNIAL HOUSE THAT HAS DRESSED THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS INTERIORS ALL OVER THE WORLD, FROM THE HISTORIC FRENCH OCEAN LINER NORMANDIE TO THE HOME OF FRENCH PRESIDENTS, FROM THE WHITE HOUSE TO THE VATICAN. HERE IS A MARVELOUS STORY BUILT ON THE TALENT OF JEAN COCTEAU, JEAN MARAIS, PIET MONDRIAN, FERNAND LÉGER AND JACQUES HENRI LARTIGUE, SUCCEEDED TODAY BY THE GREAT NAMES OF CONTEMPORARY DESIGN: INDIA MAHDAVI, JACQUES GRANGE, STÉPHANE PARMENTIER, SANDRA BENHAMOU AND PIERRE YOVANOVITCH.
