Denmark Denmark

12
Quality linen gets trendy
LIFESTYLE: Georg Jensen Damask has become a hit
among young people when laying the table, making the
bed or when the bathroom and kitchen need new textiles.
A
venerable and illustrious
industrial era in Denmark’s
history will end this year when
Georg Jensen Damask starts to
outsource its weaving work. The
damask textile factory in
Kolding is the last of its kind in
Denmark. The weaving work
will take place in the Czech
Republic in the future.
“Outsourcing does not mean
F O C U S D E N M A R K · V O L . 1 · 2 0 0 5
an end to Georg Jensen Damask,
far from it” says director
Peter Hulweg Christiansen. “We
are in a renewal process where
we are opening new shops,
taking in new designers and
extending the product range.
Even though the weaving itself
will happen in another place, it
will still be our quality, our
design and the unique products
which always have characterised
Georg Jensen Damask. And
with a completely new and
modern image. Sleeping Beauty’s
slumbers have ended.”
For more than 250 years,
Georg Jensen Damask has supplied
fine tablecloths to Denmark’s
wealthier citizens. When
guests were invited and the table
had to look its best, the damask
table cloth was laid. But the
weaving actually started in the
countryside where farmers
supplied the raw materials, wool
and flax, for home use. It was
used for clothes, bed linen and
all other fabrics sold by the
meter. It was not until the beginning
of the 1800s that the
damask technique, which allows
freely drawn patterns, was introduced
and the foundation laid
for what characterises Georg
Jensen Damask today: timeless,
elegant and artistic design.
“It was probably the slightly
upper class tag – and a not quite
up-to-date machine park –
which was killing off the company
until a couple of years
ago,” says Hulweg Christiansen.
“For one thing our products are
supremely wear resistant, which
naturally is a quality mark. For
another our image was quite
dowdy. Today we are going full
speed ahead with everything we
are good at, and producing
inspirational textiles for the
dining room, the bathroom, the
kitchen and the bedroom.”
By attracting new and enthusiastic
young designers, Georg
Jensen’s products have become a
hit for everyday use as well as
among young quality conscious
consumers. It is Peter Hulweg
Christiansen who has initiated a
new ‘drive’ in the company.
“We were at a crossroad a few
years ago. The company was
Collaboration with a number
of outstanding Danish textile
designers is sparking the
development of the new
Georg Jensen Damask. The
collaboration has existed
over the years, but has now
been intensified with new,
young names. One of the
company’s greatest suc-
cesses has been the col-
laboration with the multi-
artist Monica Ritterband,
who in addition to creating a
number of interesting pat-
terns, has also designed a
series of napkin rings and
place card holders in steel.
more or less at a standstill. Investments
in production were
lacking and the enthusiasm
seemed to have disappeared.
Together with the new owners,
we decided to reverse the trend.
One of the decisions was to close
down the textile factory and
concentrate instead on design,
development and marketing.
The machinery needed extensive