The moquette
that the chemical treatment is impregnated thoroughly into the material and withstands constant handling well. The moquette’s versatility can once more be seen with how designers have made use of the customizability of the materials pattern to solve issues without the use of stickers or posters. On the London Overground, priority seats are marked with a contrasting shade to be more visible to commuters; on the London Underground, some priority seats exhibit pictograms and labels to show their unique status and encourage awareness and inclusivity amongst other passengers. Not only this, in November 2024 Transport for London installed a unique moquette on one carriage of the Victoria line 10 as part of an advertising stunt for Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC , exhibiting a pattern resembling a graphical 2D video game. Other transport systems have also made full use of the moquette’s manipulative aesthetic for artist installations, advertisements and even heritage memorials of notable monarchy, as seen on the Warsaw metro in Poland. Ultimately, the moquette is not flawless with any one of its applications or characteristics, but nor is any other textile. The moquette has to be replaced every 5-10 years due to the pile constantly wearing down and falling apart; it requires periodic cleaning and hoovering; it is heavy and difficult to transport and instal. Yet the moquette shows hardworking properties which are versatile and can be adapted to almost any environment from a cold, shaking Central line train at midnight to a scorching greenhouse of a Warsaw tram. This textile rarely defeats its textile opponents through its inherent properties, but its adaptability and level of potential customization is what makes the moquette the unquestionable go-to upholstery for transport design.
Metro systems visited Transport for London / London Underground Ltd, The London Underground (est. 1863). Metro Warszawskie Sp. z o.o. Metro Warszawskie. (The Warsaw Metro) (est. 1995).
10 Marshall G. (2024) ‘New Victoria Line Moquette’ https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4qmPNDuhz9M . Consulted 14/08/25.
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