Dezeen Magazine

Mary Katrantzou unveils colourful tile collection with Villeroy & Boch

Fashion designer Mary Katrantzou has teamed up with ceramics specialist Villeroy & Boch to create a range of tiles, showcased in this video published by Dezeen for the brand.

Titled Victorian, the collection features eight different themed sets of tiles. The range uses a bold colour palette of gold, white and black and many of the tiles are adorned with colourful butterflies.

A combination of digital printing techniques and traditional screen-printing methods were used to create each tile. A 3D effect was added to give a handmade appearance to each piece.

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The collection was influenced by Victorian-era tiles

The range draws on Katrantzou's previous fashion collections, in which butterflies appear as a prominent motif. The designer notes that she featured the insect to communicate optimism and to explore the theme of metamorphosis.

Katrantzou studied architecture before becoming a fashion designer and drew on her education for the collection.

"Both disciplines require an understanding of balance, symmetry and proportion," said Katrantzou in an interview with Villeroy & Boch Tiles.

Katrantzou's Autumn/Winter 2018 Collection also explored similar visual influences

"Having a harmonious balance between colour, pattern and form is just as important in interiors as it is in fashion," she added.

"On the other hand, being part of someone's home creates a feeling of permanence that’s very different to the very nature of fashion."

Katrantzou created the tiles to function as collectable artworks as well as interior design pieces.

Katrantzou is a Greek fashion designer, currently based in London. Her designs have been featured in institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

She has collaborated with names including Adidas, Moncler and the NYC Ballet.  In 2019 she was named "International Designer of the Decade" by Vogue.

Partnership content

This video was published by Dezeen for Villeroy & Boch Tiles as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.