Jennifer Manners Introduces /sea/SILKE™ NAVIGATOR

BEAUTIFULLY UNEXPECTED

A new silk-performance fibre made from reclaimed marine materials, developed for handcrafted rugs.

Jennifer Manners introduces /sea/SILKE™ NAVIGATOR, the inaugural collection created using the studio’s new proprietary silk-performance fibre. Made predominantly from reclaimed fishing nets, /sea/SILKE is a thoughtfully created fibre that honours the artistry of traditional silk weaving while embracing sustainable innovation. Its soft, fluid handle and exceptional colour depth give the fibre a distinctive visual richness while its inherent durability makes it well suited to high-use spaces.

Developed through extensive material research and innovation, /sea/SILKE represents a new approach to handcrafted rugs - bringing together tactility, performance and responsible innovation in a way that is currently unique to the market.

The name NAVIGATOR reflects the thinking behind the collection: a willingness to explore unfamiliar territory, question established materials and find a new direction for handcrafted rugs.

Rather than replicating natural silk, Jennifer Manners developed a new material with its own characteristics.

“/sea/SILKE started with touch. I wanted to create something with the softness and movement I love about silk, but with the practicality needed for everyday interiors. Once we stopped trying to imitate silk, the material became much more interesting. It has its own character, and you simply wouldn’t know where it came from by looking at it or touching it.” Jennifer Manners, Founder

A NEW APPROACH TO SILK-PERFORMANCE

/sea/SILKE builds on the innovation of /re/PURPOSE, the studio's wool-like performance fibre. 

The two fibres offer different approaches to performance. /re/PURPOSE has a warmer, more familiar handle of wool, while /sea/SILKE is finer, smoother and more responsive to light.

Together, they broaden Jennifer Manners’ approach to performance and challenge the assumption that practicality must come at the expense beauty.

The focus is not simply on the material's reclaimed origin, but on what it brings to the finished rug: softness, colour, resilience and a subtle variation in surface.

THE NAVIGATOR COLLECTION

The inaugural NAVIGATOR collection explores /sea/SILKE through colour, pattern, texture and pile height.

Central to the collection is an exclusive palette of 45 colours, developed personally by Jennifer Manners with specialised dyers in India. The innovative dyeing process gives the colours an unusual depth and variation for a rug fibre, allowing the surface to respond differently as the light moves across it. Rather than simply providing a set of standard yarn colours, the palette was developed as an integral part of the design process, giving the collection its own distinctive colour language.

The 45 colours range from deep, saturated tones to softer, more nuanced shades, allowing the fibre’s subtle lustre and changing surface to become part of the colour experience.

The designs: Swell, Calypso, Beacon, Pelagos, Maren, Ondine and Alize, range from graphic lines and geometric forms to softer, curved compositions. Changes in pile and construction allow the fibre and colour to appear differently across each design. Each rug is hand-knotted, combining traditional craftsmanship with the new silk-performance innovation.

The collection reflects the idea behind its name: exploration as a method of design. Rather than following an established material formula, Jennifer Manners has taken a different journey, combining reclaimed marine materials with traditional rug-making to create a new approach to silk-performance.

The result is a collection that feels refined but not precious, rugs intended to be touched, walked on and lived with.

BEAUTIFULLY UNEXPECTED

The launch of /sea/SILKE NAVIGATOR is introduced through Beautifully Unexpected, a campaign focused on the contrast at the heart of the fibre: its reclaimed marine origins and the softness, fluidity and refinement of the finished rug.

The opening campaign, A New Dawn for Handcrafted Rugs, was photographed at first light, placing the rugs in a natural setting alongside water and landscape.

Rather than making the reclaimed origin the visual focus, the campaign begins with the rugs themselves, their colour, texture and surface, before revealing the story behind the material.

The idea is simple: what /sea/SILKE looks and feels like is not what its origin leads you to expect.

PERFORMANCE, RECONSIDERED

Jennifer Manners’ approach to performance is built around two proprietary fibres:

/re/PURPOSE
A wool-like performance fibre made from recycled water bottles, developed for softness, warmth and durability.

/sea/SILKE
A soft, fluid performance fibre made from reclaimed marine materials and developed as an alternative to the qualities traditionally associated with silk.

Both are used in handcrafted rugs and reflect the studio’s approach to performance: materials chosen not only for their practicality, but for what they contribute to colour, texture and design - brought to life by skilled craftsman in an ancient art.

ABOUT JENNIFER MANNERS

Founded in London in 2014, Jennifer Manners is a British design-led rug studio known for its approach to colour, craftsmanship and material innovation.

Working with skilled makers in India and Nepal, the studio creates hand-knotted collections and bespoke rugs for residential and commercial interiors around the world.

Its work respects the traditions of rug making while continuing to explore new materials, processes and possibilities.

Jennifer Manners is a certified B Corporation.