3D tufted embroidery, also known as carpet-stitch embroidery, brings art and industry together, turning thread into volume, light and texture.
Marini Ricami 1986 has developed this process for industrial repeatability while retaining the visual and tactile richness of handmade work.

From artistic tradition to industrial precision

In recent years, artists around the world have rediscovered manual tufting as a contemporary form of expression, creating surfaces that resemble three-dimensional paintings.
These works inspire us: thread becomes more than a textile material; it becomes colour, movement and relief.
Marini Ricami has reinterpreted this approach using digital programming together with cutting and shearing at different heights. The result has a similar three-dimensional, tactile effect, with the precision and repeatability of industrial production.

Texture, depth and colour

Each 3D tufted embroidery is built by layering thread to create soft, dynamic relief. Possible effects include:

• Dense, velvety surfaces for geometric motifs or logos
• Long-pile effects reminiscent of handcrafted textiles or artist-made rugs
• Combinations of cut and looped threads that create plays of light and shadow
• Metallic or multicoloured yarns for brightness and contrast

Applications in design and fashion

From fashion to contract interiors, tufting can add a sense of substance and visual softness wherever it is used.

• In fashion and leather goods, it creates three-dimensional decoration and distinctive details.
• In automotive and furnishing interiors, it offers decorative and sound-absorbing possibilities for walls, panels and exclusive coverings.

Example of three-dimensional long-pile tufted embroidery

Art and industry in balance

Marini Ricami’s research grows from a conversation between artistic experimentation and technical expertise: it honours the spirit of craft while making the technique practical for industrial production.
The result is embroidery that does more than decorate. It shapes space with thread, like a contemporary textile sculpture.

Contact us to develop new 3D embroidered surfaces together.