Stacy Garcia

Friday, Jun 22, 2012

Designed to Inspire: Liora Manné

 

While the Stacy Garcia team was in Las Vegas for HD Expo, Stacy met up with fellow designer Liora Manné and was inspired by her felted pillows and the special techniques used to make them. Here we share some of her designs and inspirations. 

Stacy Garcia: You have such a unique look, tell me three words that describe your design style.

Liora Manne: Unique, colorful, and versatile.

 

SG: I would agree, take me through your design process.

LM: Acrylic fibers and/or polyester fibers are intricately cut, blended and layered by hand, and then mechanically interlocked by needle-punching. Needle-punching is the process of converting the webs of loose, hand-laid fibers into a coherent nonwoven fabric on a needle loom. The needle loom mechanically orients and entangles the fibers to achieve this. For additional strength, the fibers are needled to a base fabric and then coated with natural latex. Using the latest nanotechnology, an EPA approved SmartSilver™ antimicrobial finish permanently embeds microscopic silver particles in the material. This prevents deterioration, odor and the growth of mildew, making Lamontage™ materials extremely durable and ideal for both indoors and outdoors. 

SG: For those readers that don't know, explain the Lamontage process.

LM:The Lamontage™ process produces material of novel texture that resembles felt, yet is made with acrylic and/or polyester fibers  not wool. The Lamontage™ material is high durability and versatility allows it to be used very effectively for a wide range of applications. It improves my products by making  them highly durable and versatile which allows the products to be used effectively  for a wide range of applications such as floor covering, wall covering and upholstery. 

SG: On Life-Styled and in my own design process, we focus on inspiring and sharing our inspirations, where do you find inspiration for your designs?

LM: I gather inspiration from many places. A lot of my inspiration comes from traveling. Being able to travel and seeing life in so many different ways. The flavor of different cultures and colors are a huge inspiration.  

SG: Travel is always inspirational for us too, how do you bring that into your designs and products?

LM: My appreciation for modern art, painters and artists reflects the pallet and look of my designs. I also feel that my spirituality and the simplicity of things has a huge influence in my design process. 

SG: What are some of the memorable places you have traveled to?

LM: I must say, some of the memorable places I have ever been is Petra in Jordan and Tuscany. I love the smells, colors and flavor of the cultures.

 

SG: Who is your dream client?

LM: My dream client is someone who has a great imagination and sees things without words. Sam Botero would be an example of my dream client, he is an imaginative designer. 

SG: If you werenít a product designer what would you be?  

LM: If I was not a designer, I would be an actress. Being an actress was part of my original plan. 

SG: Well, you never know, maybe we will see you as an actress someday! Thank you for sharing with us!

Liora was born in Israel, educated in the United States and is now a true New Yorker, she is lifestyle products designer. Liora’s involvement in the world reaches beyond her quest for designer inspiration. As a leader in a dynamic woman owned company, she has been involved in design work for floor coverings that have created job opportunities in an area of India where woman are not part of the workforce. Liora has also made great strides at the LAMONTAGE™ factory in China, employing over 150 women and training them in her unique artistic processes. Liora is also involved with several non-profit organizations.