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To explore the relationship between craftsmanship, material and innovation, we met Franco Mammoli, a craftsman from the Marche region of Italy who has been hand-weaving straw for chair seating since the 1970s. His story, and particularly his work on Thonet chairs using Vienna straw, takes us back to the origins of a technique that continues to influence design and architecture today.
It is from this tradition that i-Mesh’s research also begins, with a contemporary material that reinterprets the aesthetics and logic of weaving through technology.
Franco started working at a very young age. After his first professional experiences, he met his future wife and began to learn the craft of chair seating, also through his early experiences at the Lega del Filo d’Oro.
From that moment on, weaving became his profession.
Over the years, Franco specialised in making and restoring chair seats, working with materials such as wicker, red willow and reed. Among the pieces that best represent his experience are Thonet chairs, where Vienna straw requires an exceptional level of precision.
Each strand must be placed correctly and follow the tension of the weave. It is not a process that can be improvised: it requires concentration, sensitivity and a deep understanding of the material.
But there is another aspect of Franco’s approach to craftsmanship that is particularly significant.
For Franco, his chairs are never perfectly identical. The small differences created during the process are not mistakes, but evidence that the work has been made by a person, by hand. It is precisely this imperfection that makes each piece unique.
Franco’s story represents a way of working in which knowledge is passed on through practice, repetition and a direct relationship with the material.
Today, technology makes it possible to bring some of these principles into a completely different dimension.
This is what i-Mesh explores with Wien Straw, an architectural textile inspired by the distinctive weave of Vienna straw and reinterpreted through a contemporary technical material.
A pattern that for generations was made by hand for furniture and seating becomes an architectural surface. The visual language remains recognisable, while the material, scale and possibilities of application change.
It is not simply about reproducing an aesthetic from the past. It is about taking a familiar language and asking what it can become today.
With Wien Straw, i-Mesh brings the language of Vienna straw from the world of furniture into architecture.
The principle of weaving remains central, but it is interpreted through a technical mineral-fibre textile designed to meet the demands of contemporary projects. The ability to work with the scale, density and configuration of the pattern opens up new applications, allowing this language to be used across surfaces and dimensions very different from those of a chair.
This is where tradition truly meets innovation: not in simply quoting a familiar form, but in the ability to transform it and bring it into a new context.
This evolution also finds a natural expression in the custom projects developed by i-Mesh.
The ability to customise the textile makes it possible to go beyond the original pattern and reinterpret the language of weaving for a specific project. It brings the culture of craftsmanship into a contemporary framework, where research, technology and design can create unique solutions.
A significant example is the work developed for Dior, where the language of Vienna straw was reinterpreted and customised for a specific project.
The transition is meaningful: from the craftsman’s hand, carefully weaving each element, to a technological system capable of translating the same principle into a tailor made architectural surface.
Discover more about Dior's projects:
The story of Franco Mammoli and that of i-Mesh belong to different eras and production contexts, but they share the same attention to material, precision and the value of weaving.
Craftsmanship preserves and passes on knowledge. Technology can build on its principles, reinterpret them and open up new possibilities.
For i-Mesh, looking at tradition does not mean replicating the past. It means understanding it well enough to transform it.
Vienna straw is a perfect example: from an artisanal technique used for Thonet chairs to a contemporary language for design and architecture; from a handmade gesture to a technical textile; from a familiar pattern to a surface that can be reimagined and customised.
It is in this transition between memory and innovation that craftsmanship continues to evolve.
From the tradition of Vienna straw to a new language for contemporary architecture.
Discover Wien Straw and the customisation possibilities offered by i-Mesh.
