Design Parade 2025 : 7 Projects Reinventing European Flax-Linen

Every year, this unmissable event showcases new talent in spatial design through a competition, exhibitions, and a cultural programme in Toulon and Hyères.

Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp: A Committed Partner to Emerging Talent

A long-standing supporter of the festival, the Alliance will once again accompany the 2025 finalists as they develop projects incorporating European flax.

With this partnership, the Alliance strengthens its mission: to raise awareness among a new generation of creators about the sustainability, traceability, and innovation championed by this exceptional plant fibre. It also engages its members to provide materials to the finalists.

Through workshops, individual meetings and collective sessions, the Alliance continues its work of promotion and knowledge-sharing via the Linen & Hemp Dream Lab, its Paris-based showroom. This is where young talents are invited to familiarise themselves with flax fibre and select materials from among the references offered by Alliance members.
The finalists’ projects are then exhibited at the Ancien Évêché in Toulon for the duration of Design Parade, from June 27th to November 1st.

A Promising Future for European Flax-Linen Through the Work of Young Designers and Interior Architects at Design Parade

While the previous edition of the festival featured two finalist duos who incorporated European Flax-Linen into their proposals, the 2025 edition showcases seven projects by young designers, each brimming with creativity.

Several finalists delve into the creative potential of Flax-Linen, highlighting its functional qualities—such as thermoregulation and breathability—and exploring its wide range of applications.

The result is a collection of sensitive, realistic and committed proposals. Through their material exploration, all of them anticipate a bright future for this remarkable plant fibre.

Finalists' Creations

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Ania Martchenko & Antonin Simon Giraudet - France

Garmenting

For Design Parade, Ania Martchenko and Antonin Simon Giraudet transform a space by exploring the notion of the interior as a shared ground between clothing and architecture. Their proposal takes the form of a room dedicated to a collection of familiar-shaped objects gathered from the surrounding area—an archaeology of everyday vernacular life in Provence, composed of fragments from past uses.
These objects become bodies to be dressed. The walls are adorned with a trompe-l’œil textile, tailored to fit and presented as if in the process of being made. This hybridisation transforms the perception of the space, confronting flat, rigid surfaces with the supple, structural materiality of fabric.
This hybridisation alters the perception of space, setting flat, rigid surfaces against the supple and structural materiality of fabric.
The designers place particular emphasis on the making process, embracing irregularities, imperfections and visible details that reveal objects in the making.

This project is supported by Alliance members:

• John England Textiles
• Texmoda Tessuti
• Lineaesse Tessuti
• Northern Linen
• Folgarolas Textil
• Sidonios Malhas

Biography:
Ania Martchenko is a graduate of ENSAD in scenography and furniture design. She began her career at Martin Margiela as a scenographer, interior designer, and model. Her professional journey has continued between France and Russia, at the crossroads of contemporary art, theatre, and interior architecture. Since 2017, she has designed exhibition scenographies for fashion and photography institutions (Palais Galliera, MoMu), collaborated with Hermès and JM Weston, taken part in Olivier Saillard’s performances, and taught fashion design in London (Royal College of Art) and in Paris at ENSAD.
Antonin Simon Giraudet is a textile artist and craftsman. Trained at ESAA Duperré and later in fashion at the École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, he blends art, sculpture and garment-making. He designs and produces costumes and textile sets for cinema, performance, and installations. He has refined his expertise by studying garment construction techniques in museum archives and through collaborations with haute couture professionals.

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Mimo Studio - France

Latcho Drom

With the project Latcho Drom, Mimo Studio draws inspiration from the renowned Gypsy pilgrimage dedicated to Sara la Kali in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. The project evokes the arrival of the travelling community in the Camargue, gathered in an atmosphere both mystical and festive. Men, women and children come together around campfires—dancing, singing, and living freely on this land. The ambiance honours traditions, religious rituals, games, and divinatory arts.
The installation takes the form of a crypt where fragments of fabric and elements gathered from the surrounding nature accumulate. Inside, Pisla, a female figure from the Gypsy community, shares memories of her first pilgrimage. Her testimony recounts the origins and spirit of a people deeply connected to the sea and to collective memory.
At the heart of the space, a symbolic hearth embodies family and gathering. Around it, stories and memories from the past are passed on, perpetuating the culture of a nomadic people.

This project is supported by Alliance members:

• Libeco Lagae : production of floor rugs and card game pouches
• Flipts En Dobbels : production of card game pouches
• Safilin : Flax roving
• Agricultural twine: ornamentation and stitching

Biography:
Trained in object design and interior architecture, Raphaëlle Lhuillier and Margaux Padrutt share a common fascination with tactile forms, raw materials and quietly expressive objects. Together, they develop a restrained and organic design language, always attentive to materials and what they subtly communicate.
Their studio, Mimo, embraces a slow, thoughtful design process, nourished by craftsmanship and observation of everyday gestures. Their work spans furniture, one-off pieces and scenography. Each creation is conceived as a fragment of space—a micro-architecture that speaks to both body and eye.

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Studio Engpiplard, Kelly Eng & Marie Piplard - France 

Les Bouillottes

The Les Bouillottes project pays tribute to this ancestral object—a silent witness to daily rituals and a discreet guardian of comfort. Long overshadowed by modern technologies, this simple object embodies both warmth and durability.
The designers highlight four types of hot water bottles, each operating on a distinct principle and using specific natural materials to store and release heat: the traditional water bottle, the heated brick, the dry bottle, and the sand bottle. Made from stoneware or terracotta, filled with water, sand, or textiles, and sometimes packed with cherry stones or Flax seeds, each design explores an intimate connection between material and thermal property.
By focusing warmth on specific areas of the body or home, these objects provide a gentle alternative to energy-intensive systems, avoiding unnecessary heat loss. Whether commonplace or deemed outdated, the hot water bottle here becomes a central character in a visual and sensory narrative—re-establishing an organic relationship between humans and their environment.

This project is supported by Alliance members:

• Lineaesse Tessuti Srl: Production of the cover
• Libeco Lagae: Production of the cushion
• Vieböck Leinen: Production of the inner lining
• Flax seeds and shives

Biography:
Toutes les deux diplômées de l’École des Arts Décoratifs de Paris, Kelly Eng et Marie Piplard s’interrogent sur la force narrative des objets. Elles nourrissent leur travail à travers les objets d’antan. A travers eux, elles retranscrivent des récits, des pratiques, des ingéniosités d’avant, qui résonnent au sein de nos contextes contemporains. Par le design, elles aspirent à retrouver un sentiment d’émerveillement envers les objets qui nous entourent. Leur pratique veille particulièrement à mettre en avant le travail de la main et l’intelligence des matériaux naturels.

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Thomas Takada - France 

Villa des Échos

Thomas Takada’s project Villa des Échos embraces a poetic and sustainable approach. He proposes an ephemeral villa, situated at the intersection of past and future—bearing the imprint of a memory while opening a path to possibility.
The architect works with local plant waste—leaves, branches, stones—which he assembles into fragile structures, reinforced with metal, wax or paper. These installations echo the furnishings of a bedroom: bed, wardrobe, desk, chair. They evoke the traces of temporary domesticity, a balance between human life and the natural world.
At the heart of the project, Takada invites each visitor to participate in the work: by collecting a leaf or stone from the surroundings of Toulon or Hyères, each person contributes to the symbolic stability of the lamp, and more broadly, of the installation.
According to the architect, a blade of grass, a seed or a type of leaf can carry symbolic or cultural meaning. He incorporates them into the space for their emotional and narrative value.

This project is supported by Fratelli Graziano Fu Severino.

Biography:
Architect and designer Thomas Takada is a French creator born in Japan. He draws inspiration from the sense of alienation from our physical environment—as a symptom of a catastrophe that has already occurred, with consequences still unfolding. His work explores the relationship between humans and a physical world rendered abstract by global industrial processes and materials with unstable meanings.
Moved by this sense of disconnection in a rapidly changing world, he initiates an almost therapeutic process by collecting ordinary materials from his immediate surroundings. Assembled into fragile structures, these elements express dependence, degradation, and yet a persistent sense of vitality. Repeated, his act of collecting and assembling honours the cycles of nature, memory, and time within a specific locality.

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Magali Lamoureux & Joanne Riachi - France

Submergé.e.

Originally from Lebanon and Toulon, these two architects grew up by the sea. For them, living on the Mediterranean coast means growing up with the horizon—a shifting boundary that inevitably advances toward the observer. In a world that constantly overwhelms us, they sought to bring that horizon inside the home. They imagined a temperate, breathable space structured around a wide platform made of solid Scots pine, its grain evoking the shimmering reflections of water. To this, they added a contrasting sensation: that of feet slipping beneath sun-warmed sand in search of coolness. The objects arranged on the table recall Mediterranean rituals devised to cope with summer heat. A lamp piercing through the tabletop casts light upward and downward, like an anchor dropped on the seabed. It illuminates fragments of history—ancient objects from submerged Mediterranean civilisations—which serve as witnesses of a shared memory. Emerging from the sand, these relics awaken a buried part of our identity.

Biography:
Joanne Riachi (Atelier Jori), originally from Lebanon, is an HMONP-certified architect. She completed an academic exchange at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro and trained at ENSA Paris-Malaquais.
Magali Lamoureux (La Comète architecture et patrimoine) received her training at ENSA Marseille, ETSAV Barcelona, and ENSAPVS. Both architects now share a practice in Paris. Their work approaches architecture and landscape as a unified discipline—from furniture to large-scale space. They enjoy exploring varied typologies to design intermediate climatic environments that encourage convivial, lived-in spaces. These spaces extend beyond the built environment, where landscape becomes both container and content. The architects closely intertwine spatial design and furniture-making, aiming for full harmony between place and object. Across multiple scales, their portfolio features projects developed in collaboration with institutions, municipalities, and private clients.

This project is supported by Textil Santanderina.

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Célia Fabry - France 

Ōsōji

With Ōsōji, designer Célia Fabry draws inspiration from the Japanese ritual of the “great cleaning,” traditionally performed at year’s end to purify both home and spirit. Her project introduces an ingenious collection of brushes combining Flax fibre and ceramic.
This subtle work questions our relationship with time, dwelling, and objects. By exploring both the manipulation of Flax-Linen and the brush—an object of care par excellence—Fabry elevates the use of flax to a poetic, symbolic level. All the pieces are handmade using the Shinogi technique—a process that gives the brushes tactile lines and a fluid grip. Their softness encourages a slowing down, inviting one to fully inhabit the gesture. Through this project, Flax-Linen reveals its creative power: it is not merely functional—it carries a poetic vision where everyday beauty, attention to simplicity, and reverence for living things converge.

Biography :
Célia Fabry is a 2024 graduate of the École Camondo. The Geneviève Pons graduating class celebrates 80 years of history and creativity at this institution, positioned at the crossroads of art, technology, and social and environmental practice.
Célia Fabry has also gained experience in several architectural studios, including Studio Mumbai Architects and Warren Techentin Architecture (WTARCH).

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Joseph Melka & Balthazar Auguste-Dormeuil - France-Etats-Unis

Spot

Creation of a projection screen made from matte-coated Flax-Linen.

This project is supported by Folgarolas Textil.

Biography:
The collaborative practice of Joseph Melka and Balthazar Auguste-Dormeuil blends architecture, furniture, exhibition design, and object-making—some enduring, others ephemeral. Their work typically lies at the intersection of disciplines.
Their process centres on drawing, building, testing, failing, and trying again. They care deeply about how things are made, who makes them, and what happens after they’re built. Their collaborations span cultural institutions, municipalities, and private clients.

Flax-Linen: Between Creative Innovation and Traceability

The 2025 finalists’ creations bear witness to the versatility of Flax and its ability to inspire design approaches that are both environmentally conscious and aesthetically driven.

Beyond a basic understanding of Flax-Linen—its cultivation, processing, and heritage of excellence—the certifications Masters of FLAX FIBRE™ and Masters of LINEN™ offer young designers insight into the functional, textile, and technical properties of the fibre. These labels also shed light on Flax’s environmental journey and introduce tools and methods for promoting and tracing this material through two certifications:

Certifications from the Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp

Two certifications created and upheld by the Alliance guarantee the excellence of the European Flax industry:
the Masters of FLAX-FIBRES™ certification and Masters of LINEN™ certification.

Flax-Linen is cultivated in Western Europe—primarily in France (Normandy and Hauts-de-France), Belgium, and the Netherlands. The naturally humid oceanic climate, fertile soils, and long-standing expertise of Flax-Linen growers all contribute to the exceptional quality of European Flax-Linen. This specific region accounts for three-quarters of global Flax-Linen production and ensures high-quality output, certified by the origin label Masters of FLAX FIBRE™.

The Partnership Between Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp and Design Parade

The 2025 edition of Design Parade once again highlights the creativity, commitment to responsibility, and innovation embodied by young designers as well as more established talents.
Flax-Linen, a time-honoured plant fibre, remains an inexhaustible source of inspiration for new generations of designers. Its versatility allows for a seamless blend of inventiveness and environmental awareness.
Design Parade offers laureates unique visibility and presents the public with a rich programme combining exhibitions, architectural heritage, and decorative arts.

A Collective Momentum Around European Flax-Linen

Behind these projects, several Alliance member companies rallied to provide certified, exceptional-quality Flax-Linen: Flipts & Dobbels, Folgarolas Textil, Fratelli Graziano Fu Severino, John England Textiles, Libeco Lagae, Lineaesse Tessuti, Northern Linen, Safilin, Sidonios Malhas, Textil Santanderina, Texmoda Tessuti, and Vieböck Leinen.

Whether woven, raw, or processed, this natural material allowed the young designers to explore, experiment, and create with intention. More than just support, this partnership reflects the Alliance’s commitment to weaving connections between the textile industry and emerging design—placing material at the heart of contemporary creative narratives.

Each summer, the Design Parade festival unfolds in two parts: in Toulon for interior architecture and in Hyères for design. Over an extended weekend, Design Parade offers an in-depth exploration of the decorative arts in both design and interior architecture.