Moroso has been working in close collaboration with some of the world’s most talented designers and architects to design and produce luxury sofas and seating since 1952. The company has always been open to new ideas, all from its origins in post-war Italy culture of, “doing things and doing them well” that carries on to this day. Moroso has been visionary, daring and certain of the advantage of combining hand-craftsmanship and tailoring with advanced industrial processing techniques to create truly distinctive products. Drawing inspiration from the worlds of industrial design, contemporary art and fashion, Moroso has built an iconic furnishings dynasty that sets it apart as one of the world’s truly esteemed design leaders.
MEET MOROSO’S DESIGNERS
Argentinian born Alfredo Häberli (1964) is an internationally established designer based in Zurich. The very productive designer is working for some of the leading companies of the international design industry such as BMW, Georg Jensen, Kvadrat, Moroso and Vitra. He manages to unite tradition with innovation, joy and energy in his designs. His work is strongly influenced by his early childhood in Argentina as well as his curiousness and studies in everyday life. The results are works with a strong expression and emotionality.
Alfredo Häberli’s work and designs have been shown in numerous exhibitions throughout Europe and he been awarded many times during his extensive career. In 2014 Alfredo Häberli received the prestigious Swiss Grand Prix of Design from the Swiss Federal Office of Culture. The most extensive project to date, the 25hours Hotel Zurich West, was inaugurated in November 2012. He was responsible for the overall interior decoration and designed more than 60 products for the hotel.
Antonio Citterio was born in Mda, Italy in 1950. He graduated in architecture from Milano Polytechnic and opened his studio in 1972, focusing on indusrtial design. He later expanded his scope, incorporating architecture and interior design into his practice. He has worked for Italian and international companies. Citterio was awarded the Compasso d’Oro in 1987 and 1995. He has numerous designs in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Pompidou in Paris, as well as several other museums worldwide.
Marco Casamonti graduated from the University of Florence in 1990 and was appointed Professor of Architectural and Urban Design in the faculty of Architecture at the University of Genoa in 2001. He carries out in-depth research and critical reflection on various architectural topics, has published numerous articles and essays and actively participated in conferences and lectures. He has been editor-in-chief of the international magazine Architettura Area since 1997 and has been co-editor-in-chief, along with Paolo Portoghesi, of Materia magazine since 1999, both published by Gruppo 24 ORE. In 1988, he founded Studio Archea with Laura Andreini and Giovanni Polazzi, and in 1999 Silvia Fabi joined the firm. Archea is a network of around 100 architects, who work in seven different offices located in Florence, Milan, Rome, Beijing, Dubai and São Paulo. The interests and research activities of the firm encompass landscape and city, buildings and design and while the focus is very much on architecture, their projects also include graphic design, publishing, exhibitions and events. The complementary nature of these various fields and the different scales of the projects, from criticism to construction site, make it possible for the firm to operate in a wholly integrated manner in all the various phases of a project. Each of the firm’s partners combines their professional activities with teaching or research within the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Florence or Genoa. Some of the most important completed projects inckude: the Nembro Public Library (Bergamo, Itlay), the new Antinori Winery in San Casciano Val di Pesa (Florence), the UBPA B3-2 Pavilion World Expo 2010 and GEL, Green Energy Laboratory in Shanghai, renovation and expansion of the Perfetti Van Melle industrial complex in Lainate, Milan. Currently under cosrtuction ate the Tirana Tower, Albania, the “Meravigliosa Island” at the “World Islands”, Dubai, the Changri-La Winery in Penglai and the Li Ling World Ceramic Art City, in China.
Birsel & Seck was born in 2002. Birsel + Seck is the product design studio of Ayse Birsel and Bibi Seck, based in New York City. Birsel + Seck partners with large clients to bring innovation to market. Its strength lies in Ayse and Bibi’s ability to synthesize information and imagine new possibilities in simple, human terms. Together they deconstruct old assumptions to reconstruct new experiences. Their innovation comes not from the problem but from how they look at the problem. Birsel & Seck’s biggest collaborators are its clients, making Ayse and Bibi’s work the merger of their creative thinking with the knowledge and expertise of their clients. Their clients include Herman Miller, Hewlett Packard, Target, Toyota, Dassault Systèmes, Hasbro and Moroso.
Bendtsen Design Associates (BDA) is a multi-faceted Design Studio based in Vancouver, BC, Canada. The studio is comprised of Niels Bendtsen, Giancarlo Stefani, and studio support staff; between them, there is a broad range of experience, expertise, and know-how that is translated into every product the studio develops.
NIELS BENDTSEN BIOGRAPHY
The Danish-Canadian industriai designer gleaned his education through familial nurture and his own curious nature. Bendtsen’s father, a cabinetmaker, apprenticed with Jacob Kjaer in Copenhagen; Bendtsen in turn, apprenticed with his father at the family shop in North Vancouver, where his respect for precision was formalized.
A cast metal candlestick holder, the first product he created, sparked a lifetime of design and manufacturing. In 1973 Niels returned to his birthplace, Denmamark, and plunged headfirst into design. He freelanced for the likes of Eilersen, IKEA, and Kebe – for whom he created the Ribbon Chair that holds a place in the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection – and produced his own pieces under the brand 2B.GIANCARLO STEFANI BIOGRAPHY
Venezuelan born with Italian roots, Giancarlo decided to follow his passion for Industriai Design after years of part-time work with his father in his cabinet-maker’s workshop.
After obtaining a diploma and few years of personal work, Giancarlo moved to Milan and attended the prestigious SPD Scuola Politecnica di Design di Milano under Nino Di Salvatore’s guidance where he received Masters degrees in both Industrial and lnterior Design.
This unique experience combined with an industrious attitude allowed Giancarlo to work for some of the most influential Italian designers over the years. Becoming a team member of Antonio Citterio’s design studio gave him the opportunity to develop projects for some of the most remarkable companies in the Design industry. After meeting Niels Bendtsen, and finding immediate synergy, Giancarlo and his family moved to Vancouver and joined Bendtsen Design Associates.
Born in the UK in 1984, Benjamin Hubert studied Industrial Design and Technology at Loughborough University and graduated in 2006. Benjamin Hubert Ltd specialises in industrial design across furniture, lighting, product and installations working with international global manufacturers. The studio works on a diverse range of projects including both mass/batch produced consumer products and limited edition / one off’s. Benjamin Hubert has received international critical and media acclaim and has been exhibited internationally receiving a number of prestigious awards.
Architect and designer Concetta Giannageli imbues the objects she creates with her experience as a cultural-educational designer. The outcome is designing which studies the influence of maieutic processes, that sees creative expression as a general approach to the creation and production of beauty and experiments the intersecting of artisan techniques and new technology. Therefore, making a new object becomes an opportunity to experiment for a community of practice, producing new, surprising results arising from their preceding interrelations, verging on contemporary relational aesthetics. She has worked for Gregotti Associati International, Guido Canali Architetto, Prada, Villa Manin Centro d’Arte Contemporanea, Modidi…Creare Sostenibile. She is currently the head of Moroso’s creative team & prototyping department.
Daniel Libeskind is renowned for his ability to evoke cultural memory in buildings of equilibrium-defying contemporaneity. Informed by a deep commitment to music, philosophy, and literature, Mr. Libeskind aims to create architecture and design that is resonant, original, and sustainable. Born in Lód’z, Poland, in 1946, Mr. Libeskind immigrated to the United States as a teenager. Daniel Libeskind established his architectural studio in Berlin, Germany, in 1989 after winning the competition to build the Jewish Museum in Berlin. In February 2003, Studio Libeskind moved its headquarters from Berlin to New York City when Daniel Libeskind was selected as the master planner for the World Trade Center redevelopment. Daniel Libeskind’s practice is involved in designing and realizing a diverse array of urban, cultural and commercial projects internationally. The Studio has completed buildings that range from museums and concert halls to convention centers, university buildings, hotels, shopping centers and residential towers. As Principal Design Architect for Studio Libeskind , Mr. Libeskind speaks widely on the art of architecture in universities and professional summits. His architecture and ideas have been the subject of many articles and exhibitions, influencing the field of architecture and the development of cities and culture. Mr. Libeskind lives in New York with his wife and business partner, Nina Libeskind.
David Adjaye OBE was born in Tanzania to Ghanaian parents and his influences range from contemporary art, music and science to African art forms and the civic life of cities. He founded Adjaye Associates in 2000 and immediately won several prestigious commissions. Adjaye Associates now has offices in London and New York and is working throughout the world on projects ranging from furniture to masterplanning. Recent works include the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall in Washington DC, the Alara concept store in Lagos, the Aishti Foundation arts and retail centre in Beirut and a new headquarters building for the International Finance Corporation in Dakar.
New York designer David Weeks takes a handcrafted approach to his work, driven by the belief that design must hold universal appeal. Originally from Athens, Georgia, Weeks studied painting and sculpture at the Rhode Island School of Design. He worked in the studio of jeweler Ted Muehling before founding his namesake studio in 1996. Over the past two decades, his product line has evolved from a core grouping of elemental lighting fixtures to a broader collection of upholstered seating, sculptural objects, and toys with a simpatico sense of materiality and detailing.
Edward van Vliet is part of a generation of contemporary Dutch designers that has claimed the international limelight. With his namesake design studio he left his marks in both product and interior design for hospitality, residential, and office sectors. His work is characterized by a high attention to detail and a vast scope of influences that are mixed and matched to give spaces a remarkable level of expression. With twenty five years of expertise in design and consumer behaviour and his close cooperation with world-class design brands and manufacturers, Edward van Vliet brings a fresh mindset to destination design with results of the highest standard.
Born in Udine in 1952, Enrico Franzolini studied in Florence and graduated in architecture from the University of Venice. Franzolini pursues projesìcts in the field of art (La Biennale di Venezia, 1972), architecture and interior design, as well as product design. He has worked with several of most important furniture companies. His worl has been published in Domus, Modo, Abitare and Interni. In 1991 he was awarded the first prize at Promosedia Intentional Fair. In 1999 recommendation of honour for the Compasso d’Oro award (Asia chair), in 2005 Reddot Design Award Winner (Lagoa chair).
Italian designer Federica Capitani studied Industrial Design at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Genova. Between 2002 and 2005 she worked for Patricia Urquiola in Milano, and in 2005 she joined Marcel Wanders in Amsterdam, where she was responsible for product and furniture design until 2007.
After a period in Japan working on design and cultural projects, Federica moved to London in 2009 and established Federica Capitani Design Studio. Her work ranges from small utilitarian objects to architectural projects focusing on furniture and lighting design. Federica lives and works between Milano and London, where she teaches at the Royal College of Art.
Numen/For Use is a Croatian-Austrian design collective working in the fields of scenography, industrial and spatial design and conceptual art. The group first formed in 1998 as a collaborative effort of industrial designers Sven Jonke, Christoph Katzler and Nikola Radeljkovi? under the banner For Use. In 1999 they establish Numen as a collective identity covering all projects actualised outside the sphere of industrial design. From 2004 onwards, after completing a large scale site-specific object for the production of “Inferno” in the National Centre for Drama in Madrid, Numen/For Use become intensely involved with scenography. Further realisations in theatres across Europe ensue. In 2008 the collective turns its focus towards configuring objects and concepts without a predefined function, an activity resulting in the more hybrid and experimental works such as the N-Light series and Tape, Net and Tuft Installations which were featured in public spaces and art galleries around the globe.
Sofia Lagerkvist and Anna Lindgren are the members of the Swedish design group Front. Their works are based on common discussions, explorations and experiments and they collaborate in all projects from initial ideas to the final product. Front’s design objects often communicate a story to the observer about the design process, about the material it is made of or about conventions within the design field. In their work they have assigned part of the making of design to animals, computers or machines. They have made a constantly changing interior, created objects with explosions, robotic furniture and a range of furniture inspired by their fascination with magic.
Gordon Guillaumier was born and educated in Malta, Switzerland, England and Italy. He graduated in industrial design at the IED, Milan (1988-91) and later a masters in industrial design at the Domus Academy , Milan (1992) . In 1993 he took a brief app renticeship with Baleri Associati. That same year he collaborated with the architect/designer Rodolfo Dordoni. It was during this period that Gordon presented his first own designed products for Foscarini and others. In 2002 he set up his own design studio in Milan, working on product design, design consulting and interior design. As consultant and art director, he collaborated with: Driade (Atlantide and DHouse collections), bathroom accessories for Dornbracht Interiors, kitchens for Rational, furniture for Fiam’s Liv’it collection, and more recently he is art director for Roda outdoor furniture and Pamar furniture handles and accessories. As a product designer, Gordon has worked for internationally renowned companies; ceramics and tableware for Bosa, Pandora, Paola C and De Vecchi, furniture for Arketipo, CasaMilano, Desalto, De Sede, Fontana Arte, Frag, Gebrüder Thonet Vienna, Matteo Grassi, Montina, Minotti, Moroso, Lema, Roda, Tacchini, and Varaschin, lighting for Foscarini, AV Mazzega and OLuce appliances for Elica, handles for Pamar, bathroom accessories for Nobili Rubinetterie, Azzurra Ceramiche, Kronos Ceramiche and Ceramiche Piemme. His works in interior design are mainly focused on residential projects whereby his studio has developed architecture and interiors for private clients. Gordon has participated in various exhibitions and trade fairs; ”Pro-gettare”Abitare II Tempo, Verona (1999), Pandora Design, Milano (2001); Molteni Villa Torlonia (2002); Pamar, Palazzo Crivelli (2006/2012); Roda, Salone del Mobile Milano (2006/2013); Mondadori/Interni (2011/2014). In 2006 he has lectured at the faculty of industial design at the Politecnico di Milano. His work is regularly featured in the international design press.
Javier Mariscal was born in Valencia in 1950. Beginning with his first drawings in the 1970s, Mariscal has shown an incontrollable creativity, his need of expressing himself coming through several different disciplines artistic and not. Furniture design, painting, sculpture, interior design, graphic design, landscape design, gardening and horticulture are all elements of his professional activity.
Javier Mariscal expresses himself through a very personal language which is theoretically complex but practically simple. His work is sometimes innocent, but always provocative.
Karmelina Martina was born in Sarajevo. She now lives and works in Udine. She graduated with full honours in industrial design from Florence University in 2001. She studied under Vanni Pasca, Isao Hosoe, Paolo Deganello and other internationally-renowned designers. She has worked in Moroso’s product development department since 2006. She seeks to perfect a design precisely in the border area that separates technical/manufacturing reasoning from symbolic/emotive motivations. In addition to her product development activities, she also designs jewellery, lamps and private homes.
Marc Thorpe Design was founded in New York City by architect Marc Thorpe in 2005. Thorpe is known internationally for his innovative and dynamic work, taking a rigorous approach to the integration of architecture, design and technology. Thorpe and his team collaborate with clients to develop and execute brand growth strategies. The studio conceptualizes design while building brands, and has the resources to produce consistent communication platforms. These include architecture, interiors, branding, furniture, product, retail and exhibit design. Thorpe and his team has designed for leading international brands including Moroso, Tod’s, Stella Artois, Mercedes Benz, Under Armour, Coca-Cola, Infiniti, Saatchi & Saatchi, ABInBev, David Yurman, Esquire, L’Oreal, Yahoo, Patron, Davidoff and the Cooper Hewitt.
Marcel Wanders, founder of the Marcel Wanders studio in Amsterdam, is a world-renown, award-winning creative luminary. He has been lauded for his use of design, innovation and technology from publications such as Business Week, Elle Decoration, The Washington Post and WIRED magazine. Collaborating with iconic brands such as Alessi, KLM Airlines, Baccarat, Bisazza, Christofle, Kose/ Cosme Decorte, Mac, Puma, Swarovski and Louis Vuitton, he has over 1,700 products to his name. He has also co-founded the successful Design label Moooi. Conceived as a platform to host design talent from around the globe and is present in 79 countries worldwide, making Marcel is synonymous with international design excellence. Graduating cum laude from the ArtEZ Academy in Arnhem and holding an an Executive MBA from INSEAD, he is an advisory board member of THNK School of Creative Leadership with architecture and design collections at the Museum of Modern Art, NY, Museum of Modern Art, SF, the Victoria & Albert Museum, UK, the Centre Pompidou, FR and the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, NL. With every endeavor, Marcel is bringing the human touch back to design, and ushering in what he calls design’s ‘new age’, in which designer, craftsperson and user are reunited. His work excites, provokes, and polarises, but never fails to surprise for its ingenuity, daring and singular quest to uplift the human spirit. With all he has done and is yet to do, he is fulfilling his mission: “here to create an environment of love, living with passion and making our most exciting dreams come true”.
Martino Gamper (b. 1971, Merano, Italy) lives and works in London. Starting as an apprentice with a furniture maker in Merano, Gamper went on to study sculpture under Michelangelo Pistoletto at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna. He completed a Masters in 2000 from the Royal College of Art, London, where he studied under Ron Arad. Working across design and art venues, Martino Gamper engages in a variety of projects from exhibition design, interior design, one-off commissions and the design of mass-produced products for the cutting edge of the international furniture industry. Gamper has presented his works and projects internationally, selected exhibitions and commissions include: ‘100 Chairs in 100 Days’, Touring Show, RMIT, Melbourne, Aus; ’Transformers’, MAXXI, Rome (2016); ’design is a state of mind’, Serpentine Sackler Gallery, London (2014); ‘In A State of Repair’, Rinascente, Milan (2014). Gamper was the recipient of the Moroso Award for Contemporary Art in 2011, and the Brit Insurance Designs of the Year, Furniture Award in 2008 for his project ‘100 Chairs in 100 days’.
Massimo Iosa Ghini graduated from the Politecnico di Milano. He is considered one of the leading Italian architects and designers on the international design scene. He has worked in the Italian architectural and design avant-garde since 1985: he founded the Bolidismo cultural movement and was part of Ettore Sottsass’ Memphis group. In 1989 he started working internationally; in the same year he held his first solo at the Inspiration Gallery in the Axis Building, Tokyo, and Osaka bestowed the Keys to the City upon him. He opened Iosa Ghini Associati in 1990. Today the firm operates in Milan, Bologna, Moscow and Miami developing projects for large groups and international developers. He designs residential, commercial and museum interiors, cultural installations, public transport areas and structures, and store chains all over the world. Many of his designs are in international museums and private collections and have received major awards and accolades including the Roscoe Award, USA; the ADI Compasso D’Oro; the Good Design Award of the Chicago Athenaeum; the IAI Green Design Award, China; the iF Product Design Award and the Red Dot Award, Germany. In 2013 the Milan Triennale held a retrospective of his 30-year career. Fondazione Marconi and the Marconi Institute for Creativity awarded him the 2015 Premio Marconi per la Creatività (Marconi Prize for Creativity) in recognition of his creative talents.
It all started with Joachim Mayr and Heinz Glatzl. Over the years, M&G grew into a company backed by a qualified, motivated team and a lot of partners. The beginning individual ideas grew into the designing of complete interiors. Nowadays M&G implements whole building concepts and continues to grow further!
Oki Sato, chief designer and Founder of Nendo. Born in 1977 in Toronto, Canada. Received M.Arch. from Waseda University, Tokyo in 2002. Established design studio “Nendo” in the same year. Activity in the design world has not been limited to any one area buti s rather multifarious, spannin from graphic and product design to designing furniture, installations, window and interiors, and even reaches into the realm of architecture. Chosen by Newsweek magazine as one of “The 100 Most Respected Japanese” and won many “Designer of the Year” of major awards include from Wallpaper of Modern Art inNew York, as well as Musee des Arts decoratifs and Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Nipa Doshi was born in 1971 into a Gujarati family of Mumbai. She graduated from the Royal College of Art, London, in 1997 but she soon returned to India to worll with local craftspeople. After a short stay she went back to London where she met Jonathan Levien, a Scot who had recently finished his master’s in furniture design at the Royal College. The synergy between Nipa and Jonathan clicked immediately; in fact they set up Doshi Levien in 2000 and got married. The combination of the two cultures and creativities generated a very special, innovative design concept. Nipa’s is heavily influenced by the visual culture and materials of India. Jonathan’s is rooted in industrial design. Together, their work celebrates cultural hybrydism and explores a combination of technology, narration and industrial and craft design.
Patricia Urquiola was born in Oviedo (Spain), and she lives and works in Milan. She studied Architecture at the Technical University of Madrid and at the Polytechnic University of Milan, where she graduated in 1989 under Achille Castiglioni. She was assistant lecturer for Achille Castiglioni; she worked with Vico Magistretti; and she was also Head of Design for Lissoni Associati. In 2001 she opened her own studio, working in the fields of product design, interiors and architecture. Her most recent designs include: The “Museo del Gioiello” jewellery museum in Vicenza, the Hotel Mandarin Oriental in Barcelona, the Hotel Das Stue in Berlin, the Spa of the Hotel Four Seasons in Milan; retail and display designs for Gianvito Rossi, BMW, Cassina, Ferragamo, Flos, Missoni, Molteni, Officine Panerai, H&M, Santoni and Pitti Uomo Firenze. She has created products for numerous major companies in Italy and abroad, including: Agape, Alessi, Axor-Hansgrohe, Baccarat, Boffi, Budri, De Padova, Driade, Flos, Gan, Georg Jensen, Glas Italia, Haworth, Kartell, Kvadrat, Listone Giordano, Louis Vuitton, Moroso, Mutina, Rosenthal and Verywood. Some of her products are exhibited in the great museums of art and design, including the MoMa in New York, the Musée des Arts décoratifs in Paris, the Museum of Design in Zurich, the Vitra Design Museum in Basel, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Stedelijk in Amsterdam, and the Triennale in Milan. She has won numerous international accolades, including: The Medalla de Oro al Mérito en las Bellas Artes from the Spanish government; the order of Isabella the Catholic, presented to her by His Majesty King Juan Carlos I of Spain; “Designer of the decade” for the magazines Home and Häuser; “Designer of the Year” for the magazines Wallpaper, AD Spain, Elle Decor International and Architektur und Wohnen.
Philieppe Bestenheider was born in Sion, Switzerland, in 1971. In 1998 he graduated in architecture from Zürich Polytechnic and has worked for Swiss and US design studios. In 2000 he achieved the Master in Industrial Design at the Domus Academy of Milan, where he has been invited as workshop leader. From 2001 until 2006 Bestenheider became Senior designer at the Design studio of Patricia Urquiola in Milan working with several of important companies. In 2006 he has been invited to partecipate at the Promosedia’s event. In 2007 he opens his own studio, works between Switzerland and Italy.
Richard Hutten, 1967, is one of the Dutch most successful and influential designers. He is known for his conceptual yet playful designs. He is a true innovator, working in the field of product, furniture and interior design. His designs are iconic, intelligent and functional. The awards won include Red Dot Award, The LAI award and The great Indoors Award and The Golden Monkey award. Hutten is probably one of the most collected designers of his generation, with works in over 45 museums in the World and still counting. To name a few: MoMA New York, Victoria& Albert Museum London, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Chicago Art Institute, Design Museum London, Vitra Museum Weil am Rhein, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam and MoMA San Francisco.
Rodolfo Dordoni was born in Milan in 1954, where he graduated in Architecture. Responsible for the art direction of Artemide, Cappellini, Fontana Arte, Foscarini, Minotti (since1998) and Roda (since 2006), he designs for various companies. Dordoni Architetti develops projects for housesm residential complexes, industrial and commercial areas stores and showrooms, restaurants, hotels, yachts, as well as exhibit stands of diverse commercial fields.
Ron Arad is an Israeli architect and designer. For more than 25 years he has worked on the thin dividing line between industrial design and contemporary art. In his partnership with Moroso, his plastic and conceptual research added to the company’s interpretative sensitivity. The designer’s audacious genius is assimilated and translated into objects that transcend their mere form to bring a relationship-generating vitality into everyday life.
Born in 1958, Lovegrove studied industrial design at Manchester Polytechnic and at the Royal College of Art in London. He began his career at Frogdesign, where he was assigned to projects for Apple and Sony. Lovegrove went on to work throughout Europe, then later returned to England. Since founding his own design practice in 1986, he has collaborated with some of the world’s most outstanding design manufacturers. He is currently working on a number of projects in Japan where he enjoys unparalleled success as a European designer.
Stefan Scholten and Carole Baijings established their eponymous studio for design Scholten & Baijings in 2000, and are now widely regarded as of one of the most exciting, innovative and dynamic design duos in the world. Renowned for their sensitive and subtle yet functional products, their striking and often unexpected use of colour, and their exquisitely crafted objects, they have applied their distinctive style to everything from ceramics and silverware to textiles and even a concept car. Scholten & Baijings have been awarded numerous prestigious prizes, such as the ELLE Decoration International Design Award (EDIDA) for Young Designer Talent 2011, a nomination for Designer of the Year at the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2015 and Oeuvre Award Sanoma Woon Awards 2014. Their products and limited editions are presented in museums and galleries such as the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Victoria & Albert Museum, London and the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam. Industrial clients include Maharam, HAY, IKEA, Karimoku New Standard, Georg Jensen, 1616 / Arita Japan, Moooi, Thomas Eyck and MINI.
The German designer Sebastian Herkner born 1981 studied product design at the Offenbach University of Art and Design. His studio is focused on designing objects, furniture and interiors merging various cultural contexts, combining new technologies with traditional craftsmanship in order to highlight the multifaceted beauty of the materials and draw renewed attention to small details. His designs have received multiple prizes, for example the 2011 German Design Award in the Newcomer category, 2015 the EDIDA Award for Best International Newcomer and Guest of Honor at imm cologne 2016.
Tokujin Yoshioka was born in Japan in 1967 and, after having studied at length with Shiro Kuramata and Issey Miyake, in 2000 set up his studio in Tokyo. His partnership with Issey Miyake has been in existence for over twenty years. Tokujin Yoshioka has taken part in a number of projects by the fashion designer, designing Issey Miyake and A-POC stores and producing the installation entitled Issey Miyake Making Things for the Cartier foundation in Paris. Tokujin Yoshioka has received a number of awards and his works are displayed in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein (Basel) and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
Obsessed with “honest” materials, and a commitment to innovation design and manufacture, Tom Dixon is on a self-propelled mission to rethink and revive the British Furniture Industry. Established in 2002, the Tom Dixon brand is inspired by its nation’s unique British heritage, launching new collesions annually at the Milan international furniture fair and selling product across 63 countries, Eclectic by Tom Dixon, was established, launching collections annually at Maison et Object in Paris.
Kazuhiko Tomita describes himself as a nomad wandering between the East and the West. His life story bears this theory out. He opened his own studio in Milan, “2.5-dimensional design” in the Italian design Mecca, and was soon working with the likes of Alessandro Mendini, Ettore Sottsass and Vico Magistretti. Products he has designed have been integrated into the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. For him, simplicity is an important factor. But not Bauhaus-style minimalism. For Tomita, reduction to what is important is a feature of Japanese Shintoism, a belief that even inanimate objects have spiritual energy.
Tord Boontje is known for his expression of romanticism in contemporary design. Some of his designs are whimsical and light-hearted; at the same time they can connect with strong emotions. Originally from the Netherlands, Boontje’s education at the Eindhoven Design Academy and the Royal College of Art in London set the foundations for Studio Tord Boontje. Established in 1996, the studio has worked with international companies on a range of products that includes lighting, graphic identity, textiles, ceramics, site-specific installations, and furniture. Work can be found in major museum collections such as the Victoria and Albert Museum and MoMA in New York. From it’s space in Shoreditch, the studio conceives, creates and launches new collections. This independent and creative method of working serves and inspires existing relationships and initiates new ones.
Began work in Japan and Milano from 1969, Kita has designed many best-seller products from European and Japanese firms world-wide, of which many are selected for permanent collections at The Museum of Modern Art (New York), Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris), etc. He has served as governmental design advisor to Singapore, Thailand and China. He is also very active in revitalizing the Japanese traditional craftsmanship. Director of the international trade fair “Living & Design” and the lifestyle renovation project “RENOVETTA”. Professor, The Osaka University of Arts. In 2015, his invitational exhibition “Il Lusso Della Natura” was held at Chiesa San Domenico Church in ALBA. Multi-international awards include the 1990 “Delta de Oro (Gold Prize)” of Spain and the prize “2011 carrier internazionale of Compasso d’Oro” of Italy in. Publications include “Power of Design”, “Local Industry + Design”, “Venture for Design”, etc.
Clemens Weisshaar and Reed Kram’s work redefines cutting edge design. They have been referred to as “the vanguard of the next generation of digital designers” (FORM magazine) and “the poster boys of a new breed of designers” (International Herald Tribune). Their projects span from software development to process design, from product design to architecture. Weisshaar and Kram’s work focusses on the vanishing line between the digital and the physical, always remaining committed to “redesigning design” (Arch+ magazine). Their work has been exhibited worldwide and can be found in the permanent collections of the Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Pinakothek der Moderne, München and the Centre Pompidou, Paris. Clemens Weisshaar (DE) was born in Munich. After an apprenticeship as a metal worker he studied product design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and the Royal College of Art in London and was working with Konstantin Grcic for three years before founding his first office for design in 2000. Weisshaar lives in Munich and London. Born in the United States, Reed Kram (SE, US) now lives and works in Stockholm and Munich. Kram studied design at the trailblazing MIT Media Lab and co-founded the Aesthetics and Computation Group led by John Maeda. He attended the Harvard Graduate School of design and won the Fulbright Scholarship for Art & Design for the Netherlands in 1998.
The works of the designer Werner Aisslinger born 1964 cover the spectrum of experimental, artistic approaches, including industrial design and architecture. He delights in making use of the latest technologies and has helped introduce new materials and techniques to the world of product design. In the process he has created striking designs and received awards from all over the world – from Milan’s Compasso d’Oro to the Design Prize in Germany, the Red Dot Award or FX Award in the UK. His work is exhibited in the permanent collections of international muesuems such as the MoMA and the Metropolitan Musuem in New York, the French Fonds National d’Art Contemporain in Paris, the Museum Neue Sammlung in Munich, and the Vitra Design Museum in Weil, Germany. Werner Aisslinger lives adnf works in Berlin.