Jonathan Michaud, with over 20 years of experience in textile design in NY, currently serves as the Head of Design for Soie de Lune. After years of working with notable firms like Martha Stewart and Peter Marino, he was deeply inspired by his 2013 visit to Soie de Lune’s workshop in Vientiane, Laos, noting the authentic joy of the weavers. He has been crafting fabrics for the brand for over a decade and recently introduced a collection blending heritage patterns with modern design elements. Hailing from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and holding degrees from RISD and The Royal College of Art, Jonathan continues to pursue his passion for weaving both with Soie de Lune and from his studio in Brooklyn. Learn more about Jonathan and Soie de Lune in today’s Maker Monday.
Soie de Lune was established in 2004 to preserve Laos’ unique and intricate hand-weaving skills, blending traditional designs with modern aesthetics using high-quality silk threads.
Andrew Joseph: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received as a designer?
Jonathan Michaud: I interned for Martha Stewart Living magazine in the summer of 1998. She taught me the importance of having the right tools for the job. This can be as simple as having the right scissors for the task at hand or the proper lighting and space to do design work. If you set yourself up right, you are that much closer to getting the best result. I think about this all the time!
AJ: What is your favorite place to find inspiration?
JM: I love an archive! Designing for Soie de Lune means I get to cull through literally centuries worth of motifs, colors, and patterning for inspiration. I love interpreting historical references to create a modern fabric, be it with a slight color or scale change or by reinventing designs in a totally new combination. As with most ancient weaving traditions, the motifs woven into the Lao textiles represent the lives and what was important to the people of the time. Symbols of nature that surround and sustain us, still absolutely relevant today, make up the references for many of our patterns. I love learning the meaning behind the designs. I think it imbeds the fabric with greater purpose and on some level, I feel part of a larger story.
The company’s fabrics, deeply rooted in Lao traditions, have gained global popularity among top interior designers, expanding their offerings with varied yarns and introducing the nation’s only modern dyeing facility.
AJ: How do you incorporate sustainability into your designs?
JM: All the fabrics in our collection are hand woven. Our CEO Daniel Marcus likes to use the analogy that when the lights go out due to power cuts at the mill, which is not uncommon, the weavers are able to keep weaving because the looms do not rely on the power staying on. We are making fabrics with the same heritage techniques that generations before used. If our weavers’ ancestors were to walk into our workshop today, it would not take them very long to join in and help in the 21st Century production. So, sustainability is woven into the fabric – if you will mind the pun – and we are preserving traditional techniques for another generation.
AJ: How do you approach designing for a specific location or cultural influence?
JM: This is so much part of our endeavor. Traditional South East Asian patterns are so strongly part of our DNA. This is both our strength and our challenge. It gives us the great advantage of having a point of view and an opportunity to continue an artistic tradition. At the same time, we have to produce a modern collection for a global market to stay relevant. We offer a new take on heritage patterns alongside modern textures, bouclé, and ombré stripes to round out the offering.
Through sustainable hand-weaving, Soie de Lune aims to ensure the artisans’ future, emphasizing the importance of this craft as Laos’ primary artistic expression.
AJ: What is your favorite design-related quote?
JM: I like this quote by the late Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, “At any moment, you have a choice, that either leads you closer to your spirit or further away from it.”
I know he wasn’t talking about design, but for me, my work is all about making choices. My aim is to meet our design objectives while staying true to myself and the mission of our company.
About the Maker | Originally from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Jonathan Michaud has a BFA in textiles from RISD and an MA in textiles from The Royal College of Art. He has worked in NY as a textile designer for over twenty years on both the specifier and production side. His resume includes Martha Stewart, Peter Marino, and Yabu Pushelberg. In 2019, he made the leap to work for Soie de Lune after 15 years of specifying fabrics for interior designers in NY. He was introduced to Soie de Lune as the textile specialist at Peter Marino. “I had access to the very best textiles from around the world. It was truly an eye opening experience and an unparalleled education. Soie de Lune was a favorite go-to for custom drapery for PMA. So in a way, I have been designing fabrics for Soie de Lune for over 10 years.”
Michaud is also a resident artist at the Invisible Dog Art Center in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. From his studio, he balances his design job for Soie de Lune and his own handwoven textiles.
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