Table runner Mini Labo

For this table linen, the two designers of the Parisian label Mini Labo have created the design. The colorful pattern is - of course - woven in jacquard technique, the colors appear in each case opposite on the two sides of the fabric.

Initially, Tissage Moutet’s Founder, Jean-Baptiste Moutet, was a trader in the wholesale weaving business. In 1913, however, he bought the company and set up his own small weaving mill with four handlooms. He laid the foundation for Tissage Moutet by weaving drill cloth for men’s suits. Shortly after, his son Georges took over, acquired modern mechanical looms and expanded the product range. Following the tradition, the mill is still weaving the typical “mantes à bœuf”, the wide, heavy-weighted linen capes that protect the working oxen from the intense sunlight or biting insects in the fields. Yet, with the new jacquard technique, Moutet’s weaving proceeds to a higher level resulting in high-quality table linen, bedclothes, and upholstery fabrics .

The weaving mill in the south of France saw years of economic upsurge; however, in the 1990s, the globalisation processes and the increasing mechanisation of the textile industry began to pose serious sales problems. Catherine Moutet, great-granddaughter of the founder, was determined to counter the development and decided to do so with a design initiative with new colours and patterns. While still setting store by the best quality, she opted to combine traditional weaving techniques with modern designs. To achieve this, she turned to renowned designers and labels such as Robert le héros, Hilton McConnico, Zofia Rostad and the Atelier LZC. These collaborations with artists, museums or star chefs resulted in impressive collections. Nevertheless, Catherine Moutet reissues historical patterns as well, sometimes near to the original, sometimes with variations or in new colour schemes. Tissage Moutet still excels at the numerous weaving skills and cultivates weaving as an artisan craft. Every elaborate and meticulously crafted fabric is proof, yet the French Ministry of Finance and Economy awarded the weaving mill in Orthez the title “Entreprises du Patrimoine Vivant” in 2006. This seal honours the efforts of French companies that uphold the highest standards of know-how, still practise traditional techniques and thus ultimately help to preserve the French cultural heritage. Tissage Moutet is one of three weaving mills in the southwest of France that still produce traditional jacquard fabrics and the so-called Basque fabrics.