The haphazard stitching usually concealed on the back of embroidered rugs is integrated into the decorative surfaces of this collection created by London studio Raw Edges for Spanish brand GAN.
The studio led by designers Yael Mer and Shay Alkalay created the BackStitch collection for Valencia-based textile brand GAN, which is part of the Gandiablasco group.

The design focuses on the process used to embroider rugs and takes advantage of GAN's women's development project in India, where a team of female artisans produces hand-embroidered pieces using manual looms.
Raw Edges was interested in switching the focus from the intricate patterns associated with traditional embroidery to the messier, more random appearance on the reverse of the textiles.
"BackStitch focuses on that ambiguous and irregular universe of stitches, without which the front side, designed to be seen, could not exist," said the designers.
"What seems chaotic has its own language and adds a new value, a new intention to traditional craftsmanship."

The unique approach used to design and produce the rugs earned the collection a place on the longlist for the Dezeen Awards 2019.
It will compete in the homeware design category with products including a rug featuring fluffy wool loops that is intended to feel like pebbles underfoot.

To create the BackStitch collection, Mer and Alkalay examined the patterns created on the back of rugs and textiles during the traditional embroidery process.
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