Here’s a concept we can get behind: a Paris textile workshop that uses food scraps to create subtly dyed woven throws and cushions. At Whole, with workshops in Paris and Ivry-sur-Seine (and a shop in the 11th Arr.), designer Aurélia Wolff and her team mix natural and organic dyes daily from local plants and unused but perfectly good bits of food (“French madder and gaude, indigo and Guadeloupe, European rhubarb, canary cochineal, avocado skins, carrot tops, cachou, gall nut”), then apply them to wool, linen, and cotton from mills and makers around France. There’s a collection for babies, kids, and home; even the packaging is eco-friendly. Here’s a look at a few of their offerings.
N.B. In the Paris area? Whole also hosts dyeing workshops and will soon offer DIY kits. Stay tuned.
Looking for authentic French style? Consider these other Francophile finds:
- 10 Easy Pieces: The French-Style Market Tote, Reinvented
- Manufacture de Digoin: A Classic Loire Valley Pottery Revived
- 12 Made-in-France Kitchen Essentials for Francophiles Everywhere
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