Toyine Sellers
High-end contemporary textiles
Toyine Sellers fell for woven textiles. With her atelier in Isère, France, weaves tapestry and hand-made rugs made of natural and fanciful fibers, guided by a commitment to quality and inspired by global landscapes.
What path led you to set up the Toyine Sellers workshop?
My interest in weaving began while working as an interior designer with Peter Marino when he handed me a photo of a Louis Vuitton trunk and said: “Develop that as a fabric”. I had no idea where to start…but I did figure it out! He has been instrumental in unwittingly guiding me to this next phase in my life, and a real inspiration. It is thanks to him, that I discovered an amazing world of incredibly passionate, talented and devoted weaving (and other) artists.
One weaver in particular, an elderly gentleman who was like a grandfather to me, really inspired me. For him and his atelier, I returned to Europe. As my hands delved into the materials, my eyes into the colours, my brain into the process and my soul connected the dots…I loved it!
At first, I did not handle the looms, but gradually I tried my hand at weaving. With no training, I did most things wrong, per the classic weavers training, still today. But these “errors” ended up becoming part of my look and feel, too. I like imperfection, it makes things real and adds spontaneous character. I often tell weavers I work with to “unlearn” what they were taught and let the mistakes happen, but only to a point! I am also exigent about the quality and the beauty of my work.
I initially wanted to be able to work with different weaving houses, focusing purely on design and sales and not have the challenges of managing my own production but I soon realized that if I wanted to control the quality and the delivery, I had to manage it myself. I then went in search of looms and found an old atelier on the verge of closing, bought the looms, hired the weavers, and started from there!
You produce exclusively in France. How did you find your first location, and what were you looking for?
All our fabrics have always been woven in France since the start in 2010. Then in 2011, realizing I needed to control my production, I started looking for a loom model, which had not been in production since the 1950s. This search led me to the Lyon vicinity where I found three of these looms for sale on a second-hand site. They are quite rare today. Due to their size and weight, like a mini aeroplane, moving them was not an option at the time. I had to wait to grow the business to have the funds, as by the time I’d found them, I had spent all my money on yarns and sampling, not fully knowing what lay ahead!
What is your relationship and involvement with the materials you work with?
I try to work with natural fibers as much as possible. Having designed Chanel boutiques under Peter Marino for five years, just before starting my weaving career, “fantasy “, or fancy yarns as they are known in the fashion industry, and lurex are also part of my signature vocabulary. All yarns I use are of European provenance, and we work with local dyers and spinners on custom ones, supporting European know-how.
What about your tools? You had a precise idea of the type of looms you wanted for Toyine Sellers. Can you tell us why?
The looms I wanted I knew from an atelier I had once worked with in Brussels, and they were part of my weaving vocabulary. They were the first rapier looms from the 50s that could weave just about any material, apparently used to weave some of Pierre Cardin’s crazier textiles…On them I can combine cotton, silk, wool, linen, chenille, fantasy yarns, metal, and leather, individually or all together, creating unique and enchanting combinations.
You have traveled across the world since you were a child. Do you draw inspiration from your travels and the great outdoors, both natural and urban?
Memories, nature, art, ceramics, and food, are my inspiration, I’m always looking around and observing the world around me when I’m home, in the studio, and also when I travel. My fabrics reflect these impressions; the landscapes and the light find their way into my colours and textures. I am inspired by artists who are also inspired by nature, such as Peter Doig, Gerhard Richter and Per Kirkeby amongst others.
How does this inspiration translate into Toyine Sellers’ creations?
I start to think of which yarn colours or textures I have in my library that can be assembled to achieve the effect I have in mind. I play with the yarns, wrapping them around my hand, to get a sense of how they will blend. From there, I create a recipe, reflecting on the repeat and design. The last step, which can also be a beginning, is testing it all on the loom. Sometimes I get lucky and it’s perfect the first time, others, and more often, it’s not at all what I visualized but that isn’t always a bad thing, as it can open doors to new possibilities.
How do you support your trade customers in their projects and choices?
Our textiles are available exclusively via our dedicated sales team, working directly alongside clients to find bespoke solutions for their textile requirements. We pride ourselves in anticipating our clients’ needs and providing them with old-fashioned white glove service.
Also, you work with a textile design studio. How do you handle a completely custom request?
Due to the nature of our textiles, we mainly work with high-end residential interiors. However, we develop custom weaves for luxury retail boutiques and special contract projects like hotels. We have recently started taking on commissions for private jets and yachts. We work on many custom requests. Most often the clients select from one of my samples a texture they like or a color palette. Then they tell me what they want to be changed or adjusted. Whatever it is, it has to appeal to my colour and design sensibilities, or else it is a real challenge for me, but I also try to guide them. The best, while being quite risky, is when they say, “You decide, we trust you”! I am grateful that somehow I seem to get it right but if it were necessary, we adjust and modify the weaves to meet the client’s vision.
How did you come to meet Collection Latil and why did you join the Collection?
I received an email from Colletion Latil by chance, a few months before Anne-Sophie Latil reached out to us. I was impressed by the quality of the work of the other ateliers you carry and so when you contacted us, I was delighted, as I felt it would be a good fit!
Discover more about Toyine Sellers in the Collection space.
Photos ©François Hallard, ©Francis Amiand, ©Lotfi Dakhli, ©Sylvain Faisan, ©Studio Erick Saillet