Member Spotlight: Ambar London-based textile design studio and homeware label
09/03/2022
Ambar is an independent London-based textile development studio and homeware label focused on bespoke projects and collaborations. The pieces are all designed, developed and manufactured in the UK; skilfully blending traditional craft with high-end technology. The studio Founder and Designer Natalia combines the expertise of the small, independent manufacturers with the unconventional and experimental spirit of Ambar to create responsible products with longevity.
The creative team’s sense of curiosity means they are always on a quest for innovative and ethically sourced materials and fabrications. Although the products are digitally programmed and knitted by a computerised machine, Ambar focuses on slow design and development. Every product combines that artisanal look and feel – as well as an artisanal scale of production – with industrial precision; and their projects range from limited editions to larger-scale runs without ever compromising quality.
Alongside the own-brand collections, Natalia collaborates with other artists to create limited edition designs on an individual scale, with the aim of bridging the gap between designers and manufacturers. The team translates each creative’s artworks into carefully crafted and timeless pieces, and enables them to make well-informed ethical choices.
New for 2022
Knitwear is woven into the history of the UK and Ambar’s new collection of accessories tell a story of longevity, craft tradition and natural materials. There is a connection between the tranquil pace of creating with the precision of the industrialised, digital phase of Ambar’s production process. The visual rhythm of fabrications sync with the repetitive sound and flow of the machinery which precisely knits each piece at an artisanal scale.
Crafted exclusively in merino wool, notoriously antibacterial, moisture-wicking, thermo-regulating and UV-resistant – as well as being sustainable, biodegradable and completely renewable.
For this season of Ambar’s AW22 presentation, the team partnered up with Espasso Showroom in London. The ample light-filled space is home to many Brazilian design gems that elevated the brand’s textile creations.
Ambar shares many design principles applied to the set of iconic pieces of furniture found in this catalogue: matters of rhythm, proportion and respect for each material’s properties – which directly inform the craft involved into turning elements of nature into design staples. Ambar often says that knit is the architecture of the yarn and it really shows once fabric and furniture are presented next to each other.
The new accessories collection is also being presented in Tokyo this month with CPR Tokyo, a partnership that came about via UKFT.
“We’re very grateful to the UKFT team for making this happen,” said Ambar. “This is the second season showroom we are doing with them and this range was designed with their valuable feedback in mind.”
Ambar London is a UKFT member.
Interested in UKFT membership? Find out more here.