Serge Ferrari and Ego Paris, a durable collaboration

In constant pursuit of excellence, durability and a value-driven manufacturing process, the two companies came together around a shared vision: designing Frenchmade products that will stand the test of time and live on, in an effort to define a genuine outdoor lifestyle — simple, timeless and comfortable. 
In the words of Constance Kocher, Head of the Furniture Market at Serge Ferrari:
“Serge Ferrari and EGO Paris are two leading French textile and furniture manufacturers based in the Auvergne-Rhône- Alpes Region, and we are proud to contribute together to the industry’s growth and the Region’s attractiveness.”

For the past 18 years, the two companies have built a durable collaboration. The two companies’ long history began with the launch of EGO Paris’s Première collection, which incorporated Serge Ferrari’s Batyline canvas.
Many more EGO Paris collections were subsequently designed with the same material, a “unique product on the market,” says Nicolas Sommereux, CEO of EGO Paris.

In 2017, EGO Paris decided to overhaul its colour palette, and the company once again turned to the expertise of its long-term partner.
At the time, Serge Ferrari had just developed a co-creation software solution named Penelope, so the two companies collaborated to design unique new fabrics that truly reflected the brand’s distinctive identity.
Using Penelope, a new design and personalisation tool that acts as a ‘virtual loom’ to simulate bespoke colour combinations and weave patterns, Serge Ferrari was able to create four different-coloured bespoke fabrics that were eventually added to the range of upholsteries available for
EGO Paris outdoor furniture.
This year, the bond that unites these two valued companies was reaffirmed with the launch of the SUTRA collection, designed in collaboration with design studio 5.5.

Designed to appeal to the senses, Batyline Elios combines technical properties that have made the success of Serge Ferrari’s industryleading, signature range — dimensional stability, stain, UV and tear resistance, easy maintenance and colour fastness — with aesthetic qualities so far only found in indoor upholstery fabrics. 
Evocative of flexibility, comfort, refined colours and a smooth touch, Batyline Elios further contributes to blurring the lines between in and outdoor.
Even before they had a chance to discuss it, both the EGO Paris and Studio 5.5 teams decided this was the best option and the product was unequivocally chosen to upholster the new SUTRA collection.
The SUTRA collection was launched for the 2020 outdoor season, and it returns this year in an expanded version with new products available: a dining table (4, 10, 12 seats), dining chairs, lounge chairs and a sun lounger.
“One of the best qualities about the Batyline range is that it allows the original vision of the design — the gentle curve of the seat cushion, the colour of the fabric, the comfort level — to be preserved through the years.
I imagine it’s nice for a designer or a brand to see that the product you developed is able to last, even in spite of weather conditions — rain, snow, UV, fouling, and more,” says Constance Kocher.

A design inspired by ganivelles
Studio 5.5 drew inspiration from ganivelles, iconic wood fencing used to stabilise dunes along the Atlantic Coast in Southern France. The SUTRA collection consists of one table and five connecting seating modules — corner module, corner ottoman module, middle module, middle ottoman module, ottoman module —, which can be combined together into endless compositions. At any time, modules can easily be reassembled into an outdoor sofa, a sun lounger, a set of one seater chairs or chairs, a daybed, or a beach bed. “We wanted to design furniture that was versatile enough to evolve with time and adapt to the user’s needs and use of outdoor space in every season and for many years.
To create a timeless and beautifully crafted set,” says Jean-Sébastien Blanc.