2D Design: Textile Design
Eglinton Crosstown LRT Upholstery Design
Client
Metrolinx
Scope of Work
- Fabric Research
- Design Concepts
- Renderings
- Material Choices
- Prototypes
- Production Liaison
KerrSmith is pleased to announce the launch of a new fabric design for the upholstery on the Bombardier light rail cars of the new “Cross-Town” Eglinton Line for Metrolinx and the TTC in Toronto. We worked with the global leader in the manufacture of transport sector upholstery, Camira in Leeds, Yorkshire. Camira’s expertise includes the full range of spinning, dying, weaving, and finishing. Camira textiles has been producing transport upholsteries for over 200 years.
The parameters for these coverings emphasize practicality. Fabrics must be extremely durable, easily cleaned and repaired. They must hide dirt and wear and tear. The pattern has to be designed to be random enough to facilitate seamless and invisible patches.
We based the color selection on a range of the brand colours from the GTHA transit system. This palette represents the long-term and larger goal of transit system harmonization in the larger Toronto area. They pattern design was inspired by horizonal lines representing movement and connectivity
Our upholstery solution is a plush fabric. The yarn threads stand upright from the structure of the material. The individual ends are cut at an even height to create a level surface. The result is soft but an extremely durable surface.
The fabric was precisely modeled to fit the chairs on the Bombardier vehicles and coordinated with all aspects of the manufacturing process. We created several designs and patterns and collaborated with them over a series of prototypes to create the ideal solution. Refining colours and relevant yarn samples was an intricate process, as slight changes created overall significant shifts in the color tone and repetitive pattern.
Camira fabrics are fire retardant and meet the highest ecological standards.
Early Prototypes of Trial Colours
© KerrSmith Design 2023