An ancient celestial navigation device, the kamal equipped seafarers as early as the late 9th century. This simple tool enabled adventure and inspired centuries of stories, many mythic in nature. For Los Angeles-based textile and wallpaper design studio McLaurin & Piercy, its lure even inspired a new woven collection. In six meditative colorways, composed of 78 percent linen and 22 percent cotton, the collection epitomizes the majesty of the brand, which was founded by Clay McLaurin and Todd Piercy.
McLaurin, whose grandmother taught him how to sew, studied textile design as both an undergraduate and graduate student. He met Piercy while on an internship in Asheville. After school, McLaurin worked for a Pennsylvania mill associated with a Manhattan design studio, then taught at the University of Georgia. It’s where the brand began to take shape as McLaurin created his own fabric line. Piercy was instrumental in the development of the business, initially named Clay McLaurin Studio.
Courtesy of McLaurin & Piercy…
In 2019, an opportunity arose to buy third-generation textile manufacturer LA Mills. “We moved from Atlanta to Los Angeles,” Piercy tells Surface, “and we took that time to think about Clay McLaurin Studio and decide how we wanted to move forward with LA Mills. We rebranded as McLaurin & Piercy and started weaving ourselves, adding a lot of wovens to our collection.”
Themes of whimsical adventure extend beyond the Kamal collection; they imbue so much of what the studio produces. “Todd and I have always been drawn to travel—interesting tropical places where you can simply check out,” McLaurin adds. “When we’re really thinking about design—collections, color, and pattern—we’re always going in that direction. Is this something that we would want to put in our own house? Yes. But is it tropical and sublime?”
Courtesy of McLaurin & Piercy…
“Adventure is a good way to describe it. This whole idea of exploration. It’s this romantic idea of the world and a character who has begun to explore it. I love the idea of someone discovering new ways of thinking and seeing,” Piercy adds. He affirms that it’s also deeply personal. “The further we develop the brand, the more our inner truths come out. We are self-reflecting in so many ways. It feels like the two of us.”
This spirit is translated into color and form with each collection. Kamal is one of 12 new releases—the first suite to be introduced in three years. Aswan, Pamir, and other deeply textural releases are woven and then applied to paper (by an L.A.-based paperbacker). “The idea of the hands being a part of this whole process was really important to us,” McLaurin adds, “that multiple people from all walks of life were touching these. That’s part of this whole sense of discovery.”
Perhaps most profound is McLaurin and Piercy’s ability to work together with such ease. “It’s not always an easy thing for couples to go into business together,” Piercy says. “There’s not a science behind it. It’s just your connection and knowing how to navigate your life being with someone every day—still having fun while doing it, and still having a good life at home.” In many ways, this only furthers the romantic, narrative sensibility they bring to the world-building of their wallpaper.
