Fameed Khalique is delighted to announce the UK launch of the Heritage Weave collection by New York textile designer BE INTHAVONG, adding a new dimension to his curated collection of extraordinary materials for the interior design industry. Although much of his life has been spent in the US, Be Inthavong has a profound connection with his South-East Asian roots and is strongly influenced by his rich native culture and heritage. For this remarkable fabric collection he uses a unique technique of weaving leather and silk, created by Inthavong at his family’s silk mill in Vientiane, Laos. Over several extended trips to Laos, Inthavong learnt the painstaking art of traditional Lao silk hand-looming, an indigenous process that has existed for over 500 years.
Inthavong sought to evolve the discipline, taking inspiration from the wealth of high-quality leather goods he was exposed to in the US. He began the painstaking practice of using rare Laotian weaving techniques to take finely cut micro-strips of leather and hand-loom them into silk looms. The silks are 100% naturally dyed using the Laotian craft of organic dyes. The results of the signature leather and silk weaves are breathtaking with the combination of colours, textures, touch, construction, and fluidity of this new material. Inthavong successfully applies Western aesthetics to the historic Lao weaving process to create this collection.
After developing his craft, Inthavong returned to New York and launched Be & D, a designer handbag company whilst strengthening and exploring his design acumen and creativity. In 2008, Be & D was licensed to create handbags for Diane Von Furstenberg, and in 2009 collaborated with fashion designers Doo.ri Chung and Rachel Roy on their New York Fashion Week runway collections. Inthavong left Be & D in 2009 to pursue his passion for creating extraordinary fabrics for interiors, launching the Heritage Weave collection in 2011 and is now available for the first time in the UK from Fameed Khalique.
