Mathieu Bassée, in front of Studio MTX’s Leaves panels in the Invisible Collection’s Steinway Tower Penthouse in New York.
Photo: Joe Thomas
Creative Mind: Mathieu Bassée
The artistic director of Studio MTX pushes the boundaries by modernizing centuries-old techniques to create striking pieces
Creating a new métier doesn’t happen every day—or even every century for that matter. But Studio MTX artistic director Mathieu Bassée and his team have done just that, bringing to life a new savoir faire based on centuries-old traditions and techniques, yet modernized through technology for large-scale usage on architectural projects.
In 2013, Bassée joined Studio MTX, which started as a department within traditional embroidery workshop Atelier Montex, founded in the late 1930s, and began pushing past its longstanding boundaries. The firm weaves metal tubes, beading, ribbons, cording, and leather into panels that shape light and space. Recently, Studio MTX introduced screens, disco balls, and mirrors with Invisible Collection, with a series of lighting to come later this year.
Light pendants by Studio MTX. Photo: Alix Marnat
Detail of light pendants by Studio MTX. Photo: Alix Marnat
Diverse mix: “At first, my team was just embroiderers. Now it’s made of people from industrial design, tapestry, leatherworks. We combine different techniques and cultures, and that enables us to have never-seen-before creations. I don’t know of any other workshop that combines all these skills.”
Steinway Tower by Studio MTX. Photo: Joe Thomas
Up next: “We’re making over 3,000 square feet of giant screens for a boat out of aluminum modules to which we apply leather and fabric. Since the installation will be at sea, it has to work with the big movements of the ocean.”
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2024 Spring Issue under the headline “Creative Minds.” Subscribe to the magazine.
Cover: Mathieu Bassée, in front of Studio MTX’s Leaves panels in the Invisible Collection’s Steinway Tower Penthouse in New York.
Photo: Joe Thomas
