Tissage Moutet

Tissage Moutet French Tea Towels - Made in France

Discover Tissage Moutet, the historic French weaving house creating colourful, beautifully woven kitchen and table textiles in South-West France since 1874.

For five generations, the Moutet family has combined traditional textile expertise with a distinctly creative approach to design. Parisian streets, French cafés, patisserie, citrus, wine, glassware, animals and works of art are transformed into expressive woven textiles designed to bring colour and personality into everyday life.

Malmaison's current Tissage Moutet edit focuses on French-made tea towels, including cotton and jacquard-woven designs that are as practical for drying dishes and glassware as they are beautiful hanging in the kitchen.

From Sous Le Ciel de Paris and Paris 1889 to Les Macarons, Citrus, Verres and Bonjour Mon Amour, each design captures something different about French culture, food, travel or the art of everyday living.

Explore our Tea Towels, Kitchen Linen, French Cutlery & Utensils and La Rochère Glassware collections for more pieces that bring French character into the kitchen and table.

Discover the Malmaison Tissage Moutet Edit

Paris & the French Art of Living

Paris is a recurring source of inspiration within Tissage Moutet's collections.

Designs such as Sous Le Ciel de Paris, Paris in Springtime, Paris 1889 and Café de France capture different impressions of the city, from its streets and monuments to the café culture that has long been part of everyday Parisian life.

Rather than simply printing an image onto cloth, many Moutet designs use the structure of the weave itself to create colour, line and detail, giving the finished tea towel a richness that rewards a closer look.

These are particularly appealing pieces for anyone who loves Paris, French travel or the small visual details that make a kitchen feel personal.

French Food, Wine & the Table

French gastronomy also provides a natural source of inspiration.

Les Macarons celebrates one of France's most recognisable pâtisseries, while Citrus brings fresh colour and Mediterranean energy into the kitchen.

Verres turns familiar glassware forms into a decorative woven composition, connecting the practical tea towel with the rituals of the French table.

These designs make natural companions to French glassware, serving pieces and kitchen accessories while still remaining useful everyday textiles.

Art & Illustration Woven into Cloth

Tissage Moutet has a longstanding tradition of collaborating with artists, illustrators and designers.

The weaving house works with both its own design studio and invited creatives, translating illustration and visual art into woven textile form.

The Young Hare tea towel, for example, interprets Albrecht Dürer's celebrated 1502 artwork through textile design, demonstrating how Moutet can move from kitchen linen into something closer to woven graphic art.

Selected Malmaison pieces have also been designed by French illustrator and textile designer Hélène Druvert, whose poetic work often draws on travel, architecture and everyday French life.

This collaboration between weaving and visual design is one of the qualities that makes Tissage Moutet particularly distinctive.

Woven in Orthez - French Textile Expertise Since 1874

Tissage Moutet has been weaving textiles in South-West France since 1874.

Today, the family workshop is based in Orthez, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, where Tissage Moutet continues to design, weave and finish its French-made textile collections.

Now led by the fifth generation of the Moutet family, the company combines inherited textile knowledge with contemporary design, new collaborations and modern production methods.

The result is a weaving house that respects its history without becoming defined by nostalgia.

Tissage Moutet continues to create textiles intended for contemporary kitchens, tables and homes, while preserving the regional knowledge and specialist skills that have shaped the company for more than 150 years.

Jacquard Weaving - Design Created Through the Weave

Jacquard weaving has played an important role in Tissage Moutet's work since the technique was introduced into its workshops in the 1950s.

Unlike a simple surface print, jacquard weaving creates pattern through the interlacing of differently controlled threads.

This allows complex illustrations, lettering, colour and decorative detail to become part of the structure of the textile itself.

For a tea towel, that means design and function are closely connected.  The image is not simply sitting on top of the fabric. It is created through the woven construction of the cloth.

Tissage Moutet uses this technique across designs ranging from French landscapes and gastronomy to contemporary illustration and interpretations of works of art.

A French Living Heritage Company

Tissage Moutet's textile expertise has been formally recognised in France.

Since 2006, the company has held the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant, or Living Heritage Company, label.

This French state distinction recognises businesses with exceptional artisanal and industrial know-how and is awarded to companies that combine specialist heritage skills with innovation and contemporary creation.

Tissage Moutet also holds the Basque Linen Geographical Indication, awarded in 2020 for qualifying textiles produced according to the recognised regional tradition of Basque weaving in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques.

These distinctions reflect something important about Tissage Moutet. The textiles are not French in aesthetic alone.  They belong to a continuing tradition of textile manufacture and weaving in South-West France.

Tea Towels Designed to Be Used

For all their colour and artistry, Tissage Moutet tea towels are made for the practical rituals of the kitchen.

Cotton provides absorbency and durability for drying dishes, hands and glassware, while the generous format of many designs makes them useful for a range of everyday tasks.

Use one beside the sink, hang a favourite design from an oven rail, line a bread basket or use it when serving freshly baked bread and pastries.

When not in use, the expressive woven patterns allow the tea towel to become part of the kitchen itself rather than something that needs to be hidden away.

That combination of beauty and usefulness is central to the Malmaison approach to French homewares.  Objects used every day can still carry craftsmanship, colour and a sense of place.

A Small Piece of France for the Kitchen

Tissage Moutet has an unusual ability to capture recognisably French subjects without making them feel purely decorative.

A Paris street, a café, a glass of wine, a plate of macarons or a branch heavy with citrus becomes something woven into an object that is handled and used every day.

For Francophiles and travellers, that can make a Moutet tea towel feel like a small reminder of France.

For others, it is simply an opportunity to introduce colour, illustration and high-quality French textile craftsmanship into the kitchen.

The designs also mix easily.  There is no need to choose matching tea towels. A Parisian design can sit beside a food-inspired motif or a more graphic jacquard piece, creating a collection that grows according to the images and stories you enjoy.

Why Choose Tissage Moutet from Malmaison?

Malmaison curates French homewares that combine authenticity, craftsmanship and practical everyday use.

Tissage Moutet fits naturally within that philosophy.

Our current collection focuses on genuine French-made tea towels woven by a family textile house with more than 150 years of expertise.

We particularly value the way Tissage Moutet brings together traditional weaving and contemporary visual design.  The tea towels are practical enough for everyday kitchen use while distinctive enough to give, collect or display.

From Paris and French café culture to food, wine and art, the Malmaison Tissage Moutet edit is selected for customers who want more than a generic kitchen textile. These are pieces with a genuine French manufacturing story behind them.

Helpful Notes & FAQs

What is Tissage Moutet?

Tissage Moutet is a French family weaving house specialising in kitchen, table and home textiles.

Established in 1874, it is now operated by the fifth generation of the Moutet family and continues to weave its collections in South-West France.

Where is Tissage Moutet based?

Tissage Moutet is based in Orthez, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques in South-West France.

Its workshop is where the company continues to design, weave and produce its French textile collections.

Is Tissage Moutet made in France?

Yes.  Tissage Moutet states that its textile production is 100% French-made, with its collections manufactured in its workshop in South-West France.

The current Tissage Moutet tea towels stocked by Malmaison are made in France.

When was Tissage Moutet founded?

Tissage Moutet was established in 1874.

More than 150 years later, the business remains family operated and is now represented by the fifth generation.

What does Tissage mean?

The French word tissage means weaving.

The name Tissage Moutet therefore reflects the company's core expertise as the Moutet family weaving house.

What are Tissage Moutet tea towels made from?

Malmaison's current Tissage Moutet tea towels are primarily made from cotton, including jacquard-woven cotton designs.

Material and weave can vary between individual pieces, so refer to the product page for the exact composition.

What is a jacquard tea towel?

A jacquard tea towel has a pattern created through the weaving process itself rather than simply being printed onto the finished fabric.

By controlling how threads interlace, jacquard weaving can produce detailed patterns, illustrations, lettering and changes in texture.

Tissage Moutet has used jacquard techniques in its workshops since the 1950s.

Are Tissage Moutet tea towels printed or woven?

Tissage Moutet works with several textile techniques across its wider collections.

Many of the tea towels selected by Malmaison are jacquard woven, meaning the design is created through the structure of the weave itself.

Check the individual product page for the exact technique used for a particular design.

Who designs Tissage Moutet tea towels?

Tissage Moutet works with its own design department as well as artists, illustrators and external designers.

Collaborators include Hélène Druvert and numerous other French and international creatives, while the company also reinterprets designs from its own archives and works of art through jacquard weaving.

Who is Hélène Druvert?

Hélène Druvert is a French illustrator and textile designer whose work combines drawing, collage, pattern and a strong sense of storytelling.

She has created numerous designs for Tissage Moutet, including pieces inspired by Paris, travel and everyday life.

What is the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant label?

Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant, often abbreviated to EPV, means Living Heritage Company.

It is a French state label recognising companies with exceptional artisanal or industrial expertise.

Tissage Moutet has held the EPV label since 2006, recognising the quality and specialist knowledge behind its textile production.

What is the Basque Linen Geographical Indication?

The Basque Linen Geographical Indication recognises textiles woven in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques according to established regional criteria and textile traditions.

Tissage Moutet has held this geographical indication since 2020 for qualifying Basque Linen products.

Not every Tissage Moutet tea towel is necessarily Basque Linen, so the designation should be understood as recognition of a particular part of the company's regional weaving expertise rather than a description of every product.

Are Tissage Moutet tea towels good for drying glassware?

Yes.  Cotton tea towels are well suited to everyday drying, including dishes and glassware.

Several of the Tissage Moutet pieces selected by Malmaison have been chosen for their combination of absorbency, durable woven construction and decorative design.

How large are Tissage Moutet tea towels?

Many of Malmaison's current Tissage Moutet tea towels measure approximately 50 x 70cm.

Dimensions can vary between designs, so always check the individual product page for exact measurements.

How should I wash Tissage Moutet tea towels?

Care instructions can vary according to the weave, colour and design.

Follow the care label supplied with the textile and the individual Malmaison product page for the most appropriate washing temperature and drying instructions.

Washing before first use can also help prepare a new cotton tea towel for regular kitchen use.

Can Tissage Moutet tea towels be used decoratively?

Absolutely.  Their colour and detailed woven designs make Tissage Moutet tea towels particularly attractive when hung from a rail or hook in the kitchen.

They can also be used to line a bread basket, wrap baked goods or add colour to open kitchen shelving while remaining practical everyday textiles.

Do Tissage Moutet tea towels make good gifts?

Yes.  Tissage Moutet tea towels make particularly thoughtful gifts for Francophiles, home cooks, hosts, travellers and anyone who appreciates French craftsmanship.

Paris, café, patisserie, wine, citrus and art-inspired designs also make it easy to choose a tea towel that reflects the interests or memories of the person receiving it.

Does Malmaison stock different Tissage Moutet designs?

Yes.  Malmaison curates a changing selection of Tissage Moutet tea towels, including Parisian, food, wine, café, art and nature-inspired designs.

Availability changes as collections evolve and limited designs sell through, so the current online collection is the best guide to what is available.