Loro Piana Interiors, the Italian luxury fabric and interiors brand, unveiled its latest project “Apacheta” at Milan Design Week.
The project is a collaboration with Argentinian designer and artist Cristián Mohaded, who created an installation inside the Cortile della Seta at Loro Piana’s Milanese headquarters.
Inspired by the Andean tradition of Apachetas, the installation takes visitors on a dreamlike journey through a landscape of irregular rocks, majestic rivers, Lagunas, and bushes that have been transformed into crystals of salt.
What is Apachetas?
Apachetas are piles of stones that mark paths and passes in the Andes. They were built through the centuries by travellers, who walked those impervious distances and carried a stone from the plains to the heights, where they were left, when crossing a pass, as a tribute and a thanksgiving to the spirit of the Pachamama, Mother Earth.
Traveller after traveller, stone after stone, the Apachetas grew to become massive towers: from the earth, they rise to the sky like a prayer made of irregular rocks. They are beautiful and sacred, unstable in their centuries-old stability.
The Collaboration
The collaboration between Loro Piana Interiors and Cristián Mohaded is based on shared values such as a passion for materials and craftsmanship, and the certainty that beauty and harmony can arise from contrasts.
Furthermore, Mohaded was born in the province of Catamarca, in the northwest of Argentina, where Loro Piana sources the most precious and rarest of natural animal fibres: vicuña.
Apachetas and the Landscape of Catamarca
The landscape of Catamarca and the contrasting Apachetas became the inspiration for the dreamy landscape that Mohaded and Loro Piana Interiors have created for the Milan Design Week.
Twelve towers reaching up to eight meters rise from the ground, seemingly unstable but covered with Loro Piana Interiors fabrics from old collections. The stones are transformed into pieces of furniture, including sofas, stools, a bench, and courtesy tables, which are designed to resemble stones but softened by using tactile materials.
Hand-carved wooden elements in the more rounded parts create contrast, like rocks between the stones that give stability and offer surfaces to rest objects on. Ceramics is used to create small lagoons between the furniture, whose colours are inspired by the Argentine lagoons.
Sustainability
The Apacheta installation invites a conversation about sustainability and the possibility of reusing discarded materials while ennobling them. Mohaded and Loro Piana Interiors have infused the design with all the values they share, including respect for nature and its gifts.
The installation is not only a tribute to the Andean tradition but also a message to our Pachamama, history, culture, honesty, and respect.
Visitors become travellers
Visitors entering the installation become travellers, wandering respectfully in a landscape where all the original contrasts are recreated by mixing and juxtaposing textures and materials.
The installation is open to the public during the Milan Design Week, giving Loro Piana’s guests a unique opportunity to enjoy the splendid view of the Cortile della Seta. The Apacheta pieces are available upon order only.
Conclusion
The Apacheta Installation by Cristián Mohaded for Loro Piana Interiors is a tribute to nature, sustainability, and the Andean tradition of Apachetas. The dreamlike landscape takes visitors on a journey through irregular rocks, majestic rivers, Lagunas, and bushes that have been transformed into crystals of salt.
The project’s success is due to the shared values between Mohaded and Loro Piana Interiors, including their passion for materials, craftsmanship, and respect for nature.
The furniture designed by Mohaded, which resembles stones, is softened by using tactile materials and features hand-carved wooden elements to create contrast. Ceramics is also used to create small lagoons between the furniture, whose colours are inspired by the Argentine lagoons.
The installation is a conversation starter about sustainability, inviting visitors to rethink the possibility of reusing discarded materials while ennobling them.
Mohaded and Loro Piana Interiors have infused the design with all the values they share, including respect for nature and its gifts. The installation is not only a tribute to the Andean tradition but also a message to our Pachamama, history, culture, honesty, and respect.
In conclusion, the Apacheta Installation by Cristián Mohaded for Loro Piana Interiors is a remarkable tribute to nature and sustainability that takes visitors on a journey through a dreamlike landscape inspired by the Andean tradition. It showcases the shared values of Mohaded and Loro Piana Interiors, including their passion for materials, craftsmanship, and respect for nature.
The furniture designed by Mohaded, which resembles stones, is softened by using tactile materials and features hand-carved wooden elements to create contrast. The installation is a conversation starter about sustainability, inviting visitors to rethink the possibility of reusing discarded materials while ennobling them.