Yoga, oval cushion, bolster — a breath from another world

This yoga bolster was born out of a simple desire: to create an object that is as beautiful to look at as it is pleasant to use.

When I was teaching yoga, the bolsters I used were covered in thick, solid-colored fabric. They served their purpose perfectly, but didn’t really fit in with interior decor.
So I came up with a collection of bolsters designed for dual use: to support yoga practice while also serving as decorative pieces that you’d happily leave on a bed, a sofa, or in a reading nook.

For this piece, I chose a shweshwe fabric from South Africa. Its small geometric patterns and deep blue color give it a graphic presence that lends itself particularly well to this object.

The history of shweshwe, however, begins far from South Africa. Its patterns and printing technique are linked to cotton fabrics from Europe, which were themselves inspired by Indian and Indonesian textile traditions. In the 19th century, these fabrics arrived in Southern Africa, where they were gradually adopted and integrated into local clothing traditions, particularly among the Xhosa and Sotho peoples.

Over time, shweshwe thus developed its own identity, deeply rooted in the history and culture of Southern Africa. Now an iconic fabric, it continues today to bridge the gap between tradition and contemporary design.

It is this history of journeys, encounters, and cultural transmission that inspired me to give it a new purpose: that of an object designed for well-being, as well as for interior decoration.

– Fabric pattern: geometric
– Filling:natural kapok fiber with natural antibacterial properties
– Dimensions:length 63 cm, width 31 cm, height 17 cm
– Decoration:multicolored handmade tassel
– Carrying handle on one of the oval ends
– Designed and crafted in-house