J.D. Staron’s couture designs for Stéphanie Coutas

How did the first meeting between Stéphanie Coutas and JD Staron go?

David Aouate: Four years ago, we showed our collections to Stéphanie Coutas and her team. J.D. Staron had a firm hold on the American market, and we were on the brink of launching our business at the Parisian showroom. Collaborating with an agency like SC Edition allowed us to showcase our expertise in working on high-end projects.

Stéphanie knows her clients and colours like the back of her hand. We were able to produce samples that met her requirements quickly. For our first project with SC Edition, the challenge was to produce 200 m² of monochrome hand-tufted 100% Tencel carpeting in under two months.

Stéphanie Coutas: It would take me all day to list the full range of J.D. Staron’s strengths. I was staggered by how responsive they were, and by how quickly they were able to produce designs using their fully mastered weaving techniques. We share a set of incredibly high standards.

What makes bespoke designs different to other projects?

D.A.: We create collections of bespoke handmade carpets and rugs. For SC Edition, we create highly original pieces based on Stéphanie Coutas’s designs. We adapt our production to include highly specific colours and shades. Our designers in Paris attend our meetings to ensure they come up with the right theme and produce samples quickly.

Stéphanie Coutas and her designers have inside-out knowledge of their sector, contexts and the expected colours. Their clients have complete faith in them and they have perfect knowledge of what their clients need. All that’s left for us to do is to fulfil our responsibilities as partners and manufacturers by offering a selection of different materials: for example, we might recommend a sumptuous, radiant silk for a master bedroom in a Parisian mansion.

We share the same sense of creativity and a flair for choosing the exact right product at a reasonable price.

What values do you both share?

D.A.: Both companies are cosmopolitan, with an international influence. Jakub Staron set up his company in the United States, so many of the collections are aimed at the American market, but we’re lucky enough to have huge amounts of creative flexibility and freedom. All our pieces are the result of a collaborative process, of the international expertise you’ll find in our workshops combined with the creative flair of our Parisian designers.

This multicultural approach is similar to SC Edition’s work, which is aimed at an international client base but remains inspired by French luxury.

How do you come up with new trends and designs using age-old, traditional techniques?

D.A.: Art and travel are endless sources of inspiration. We specialise in design, creation and weaving. Jakub Staron is a painter, designer and weaver by trade. He knows everything there is to know about weaving, from hand-tufting to hand-weaving. We travel the globe on the lookout for innovative techniques in workshops around the world. Our workshops are so much more than just suppliers: they are our partners. We visit each and every one of them, from India and Nepal to China and Pakistan. These trips feed back into our expertise, ensuring we are able to continue designing innovative collections. We release a dozen or so collections every year.

SC: Once when I visited the showroom, I spotted these gorgeous bolts of natural, plant-based silks and weaving yarn from India in an array of breathtaking colours. This combination of textiles sourced from around the world resulted in the IBIZA carpet, made in the J.D. Staron workshops and displayed in our Saint-Tropez villa.

What would be your dream project for Stéphanie Coutas?

D.A.: A range designed by Stéphanie and made in our workshops would undoubtedly be a complete success.

What upcoming challenges are you getting ready to tackle?

D.A: We’re launching a new brand called Edition 169. The idea is to have a Parisian company that offers a collection of handmade furnishing textiles and rugs. This is something a little different, a very high-end, haute couture collection. The idea stemmed from our experience working with major partners such as SC Edition. These iconic Parisian companies cultivate a sense of French luxury and impeccable quality. Edition 169 is manufactured in one of the workshops we’ve set up specifically for this branch of the business. This new step means we’re covering both ends, manufacturing and designing. We presented it to Stéphanie in an exclusive viewing because we really wanted her feedback.

SC: I immediately loved this new collection, as the textiles were very close to our own aesthetic. It has it all: the beauty of fabrics and textures, the elegance of hand-tufting and an incredible variety of designs. It has the potential to become an essential collection on the Parisian interior design scene.

Stephanie Coutas discover Edition 169 first collection