Interview with François Viñas: The Vision Behind Our High-End Throw Blankets
- emilielambry
- Nov 6
- 4 min read
Viñas Genève is the brand of the company atbb.fv, born from François Viñas’s desire to give textiles a more intimate voice. After twenty-five years working alongside the creative studios of major French houses, he decided to create a line of high-end throw blankets, designed in Switzerland and crafted in Italy. For him, a luxury throw is never just a functional accessory. It is like an expanded scarf, transformed into a companion for everyday life, carrying memory and silence.
In this conversation, François reflects on his journey, his inspirations, his Swiss roots, and the ongoing dialogue between Geneva and Biella. A story that reveals how a textile object can become a discreet witness to life.
From Accessories to High-End Throw Blankets
Q: François, how did Viñas Genève begin?
A: For twenty-five years, I worked on developing textile accessory collections for the major French houses: ties, bow ties, scarves, pocket squares… It was a demanding universe where you learn that every detail matters, even those unseen.
My experience with scarves showed me the way: the throw blanket is like a natural extension, but with a different vocation, to accompany the home and moments of life. Moving from a fashion accessory to a domestic object was, for me, an obvious step. Viñas Genève was born from that intuition.
High-End Throws: Between Memory and Silence
Q: You often speak about memory and silence. What do they mean for you?
A: A textile always carries memory. The memory of the fiber spun, of the artisan’s gesture, of generations who refined a craft. When I touch a high-end throw blanket by Viñas Genève, I feel this memory woven into its threads.
Silence is also a choice. I don’t like objects that speak too loudly. A luxury throw should find its place naturally within an interior. I want my creations to be there as an obvious presence: quiet at first glance, but indispensable in use.
Switzerland and Italy: Precision and Italian Textile Craftsmanship
Q: Your designs are born in Switzerland and crafted in Italy. Why this duality?
A: Switzerland is my framework. It taught me precision, restraint, and rigor in detail. Italy, and particularly Biella, is about the emotion of materials, the artisanal gestures passed down through generations.
Italian textile craftsmanship has something inimitable. The artisans in Biella know how to give fibers unique density and sensuality. This story is also about fidelity: many of the suppliers I work with today were already my partners twenty-five years ago, when I collaborated with French houses. This long-standing trust ensures not only irreproachable quality, but also continuity in the spirit I want to transmit through Viñas Genève.
Geneva as Inspiration
Q: What role does Geneva play in your creative universe?
A: Geneva is a discreet city. It doesn’t seduce with monuments, but with its light, its lake, its mountains in the distance. It teaches you to observe, to slow down.
I remember a winter morning, walking by the lake, the light reflecting softly on the frozen water. Those are the moments that inspire me. A Swiss luxury throw blanket born in Geneva does not seek to impress, it seeks to accompany.
The Emotional Object, a Discreet Companion
Q: You describe your throws as emotional objects. What do you mean by that?
A: A throw provides warmth, yes, but it must also witness. I think of a winter evening in Verbier, where a throw passed from one shoulder to another around a fire.
Such moments leave their mark on the textile. The throw then becomes more than an object: it becomes a discreet companion, a tactile memory.
Collections: Le Plaid des Montagnes, Le Plaid des Villes and Swiss Identity
Q: Your collections follow a very precise narrative. Can you tell us about them?
A: It all began with Le Plaid des Montagnes. One day, while traveling, I stumbled upon vintage posters of Alpine resorts. Their aesthetic, their atmosphere, fascinated me. I wanted to translate those images into textiles, as if a throw could become a poster you could keep, touch, fold.
I clearly remember the moment I found those posters. It was in a small bookshop. The images seemed from another era, with bold colors and striking typography. Holding them in my hands, I knew the first Viñas Genève throw had to be born from that vision. And when the first pieces came out of the workshop, I felt the same emotion: the impression of making a visual memory tangible.
Then came Le Plaid des Villes. Again, it wasn’t a strategy, but fidelity to places of attachment. Paris, London, Tokyo, New York, Geneva: each city has its rhythm, its energy, its light. The throws translate this into textures and colors.
Finally, Swiss Identity. That was inevitable: returning to the source. This collection pays tribute to my origins, to Switzerland. It speaks of precision, calm, and discreet refinement. For me, it is perhaps the most personal collection.
The Heritage of the Great Houses
Q: How did your work with the great French houses shape Viñas Genève?
A: Profoundly. For twenty-five years, I collaborated with their creative studios. I learned extreme rigor, the importance of what isn’t immediately visible but changes everything.
But I also understood the need to break away. Viñas Genève is about that freedom. I no longer respond to imposed codes, but to intuition.
The Future of Viñas Genève Textiles
Q: How do you see the future of Viñas Genève?
A: My wish is to remain faithful to the initial gesture. I don’t seek to multiply products. I prefer to refine and deepen.
The future of Viñas Genève is about Swiss high-end creations, conceived with sincerity, realized with Italian textile craftsmanship, carrying memory and silence.
Viñas Genève wasn’t born from calculation, but from a journey. From accessories to throws, from Alpine posters to beloved cities, to Swiss Identity, each step is a natural continuation.
François Viñas doesn’t seek to impose. He seeks to accompany. His throws are discreet companions, designed as luxury throw blankets that live in our interiors and preserve the memory of our moments.
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