Hasta La Ideas

The renowned French designer creates an affordable luggage line inspired by musical structure and rhythm

Founded back in 1946, FPM-Fabbrica Pelletterie Milano is a leather goods brand that has come back in recent years with new captivating projects, with the mission to work “in the name of movement”. With the aim to connect with the world of design, the brand has released collaborations with worldwide renowned figures such as Stefano Giovannoni, Marc Sadler and Marcel Wanders.

FPM’s latest collaboration involves French archistar and designer Jean-Marie Massaud, also known for his previous works with B&B Italia, Axor Hansgrohe, Dior, Poltrana Frau
, Foscarini, Lancôme
and Renault
.

For FPM he has designed a collection of luggage called Globe, due for release in September 2012. The suitcases come in four sizes and are made of 100% pure polycarbonate. The shapes are a synthesis of function and aesthetics, where the technical solutions serve also as visual marks. We had the chance to meet Massaud for an exclusive interview and a preview of the Globe line.

Could you introduce us to Globe?

This project is a collection of luggage for every kind of situation: it’s lightweight, solid, resistant, efficient, high level in terms of quality and looks. We tried to reduce instead of adding elements, both functionally and visually. As a result it looks like the archetypal professional luggage for photography equipment and electronic devices, but redefined for common use. However, in order to enjoy it you don’t need to carry complicated electronics or optical products. The shape is just a parallelepiped with smooth edges, with the addition of some ribs (two horizontal and two vertical) that give a bit of structure to the luggage.

How did you define the concept?

The request from FPM was to have no design, no fashion references, no special attention to fancy colors. That’s why we chose a dark blue that is very close to black, a deep and intense khaki (to stay away from a strong military feel but to give a neat sense of efficiency), a red which recalls Chinese lacquer and a very light and warm grey. There’s also a special edition in white, just because we like white.

FPM wanted to make an affordable product: it’s the less expensive of the collection but not because we sacrificed on quality. For this same reason we also searched for a permanent basic item, meant to stay in the collection for a long time. It didn’t have to look trendy or fashionable—on the contrary, the focus was a simple shape and a large volume, so that we could invest more in the study of details and mechanical fittings. We didn’t want to have a simple basic article without allure or identity, but something meant to be long-lasting as a collection and—from the consumers’ point of view—able to stand the patina of time.

How was the design process developed?

We have designed every single part of the suitcase in the constant quest of efficiency and lightness. We strengthened the structure of the wheels to protect and make them super strong with reinforced plastic and glass fiber. The zipper and the stitches are clearly visible to show how good they are. It’s a strong piece of luggage—efficient and robust—and it has to look like it.

How is the project going to evolve?

We are planning a constant advancement of the project with new materials and innovative production processes, like different fibers for the shell and vacuum-formed neoprene on the inside. This is just a starting point—that’s why we have thought of a very efficient and gimmick-free volume, where the function is the first thing you can read.

At first glance, the surface could recall a sort of monochrome Mondrian painting.
In the future development of the project we foresee adding some pockets, to be placed in the central area defined by ribs. They could be used to place magazines and other flat items, and every customer will have the chance to choose the color, so the suitcase will actually look like an abstract painting. Customization is a clear request from the market—it could be spontaneous (like with souvenir stickers) but we are willing to let people choose some elements of their suitcase.

In this project and in other designs you made sure there’s always a rhythm, a sort of visual melody. Do you have any creative relationship with music?

The first piece I did for an Italian company was the Inout
sofa for Cappellini. When the press saw it they wrote it was “minimalistic and organic”. I thought, “I never care about style, I focus on content. I strive to find a symbolic approach in terms of shape, able to express what’s inside.” I was a little upset with this interpretation, but then I realized this is how my work could be read.

In general I don’t like soft lines and shapes, but at the same time I don’t like a Cartesian way of thinking, where it’s nature against culture. I’m happy when I find a sensual and natural contour, that could be originated by mechanic needs but at the same time could be considered as the link between what’s hidden inside and what is visible outside, between meaning and structure. A simple parallelepiped with smooth edges is boring, unless you read smoothness as a quality. I like to create this kind of dialogue, and in music it’s the same.

I’m not a big connoisseur of contemporary music, but I have studied piano and classical music. In music you need structure and rhythm—if you have complete freedom you get lost but if you only have beat, then it’s boring, the sound becomes artificial and rigid. The combination of these tensions, both in music and design, shouldn’t be a compromise but a constant dialogue.

The legendary designer on art and design, working with a rock star and staying fresh after 20 years with Kartell

Known nearly as much for his confident and quirky personality as for his innovative use of single mould injected polycarbonate, Philippe Starck has spent the last few decades changing the norm in product design. From an alien-like lemon juicer for Alessi to organically-inspired sofas for Cassina, Starck has expanded minds with innovative—and sometimes questionable—designs as one of the most prolific designers in contemporary culture.

While in Milan for Design Week we had the rare chance to catch up with the “über designer” himself during the debut of his latest collection for Italian furniture brand Kartell. Standing among a sea of cameras and curious fans, Starck reflected on his history with the iconic brand, working with a rock star-turned-furniture designer and the relationship between art and design.

After roughly 20 years working with Kartell, how does one continue to find inspiration?

Kartell is not a company, it is a philosophy. Thirty years ago I had this intuition that the future must be democratic, and I invented the idea of democratic design. Which is rising the quality, cutting the price and trying to give it to everybody. The only weapon, the only tool I found to do it was monolithic injected plastic. Twenty years ago it was not easy and the only company that had this philosophy was Kartell.

That’s why today everybody says that this booth is the center of the fair. Yes, it is because we deserve it. Because 30 years ago, even before the family of Claudio Lutti, Kartell had this vision. And I can tell you at this time it wasn’t very fashionable to speak about injected plastic this way—it meant cheap, bad things for low people and things like that. We had the courage to built a real proposal, a philosophical proposal, a political proposal. And finally we won. Because we are now at the beginning of the decline of Western Occidental civilization. People have less money but still want quality because we know what is quality, it’s difficult to change. And we must reinvent ourselves and reinvent our new economy of poverty. And Kartell is in the right place to do it.

Speaking of reinvention, we recently spoke with Lenny Kravitz about his collaboration with you and Kartell. Can you tell us a bit about how it all came about?

Lenny is a friend of my daughter’s and finally after years she introduced me and we became friends. One day Lenny told me ‘I want to become an architect, a designer’. I said Lenny you are smart, very smart. When I see your different houses I am very impressed. Perhaps you can become a designer, become an architect. That’s why I brought him into the new SLS Miami Hotel and I brought him to Kartell. And you know where the design is boring him. You have thousands of models here and it’s always the same proposal—the same angle of view. Lenny can bring the fresh air of the night. Designers, we are from the day. He is from the night. We wake up at seven, he goes to sleep at seven. That changes the angle of view. We shall see. He is a young designer, he starts today. He has to work, so we shall see. But he is in a good position, he is very very smart.

How do you feel about the transformation of your work through the materials he chose?

It’s him. You know I don’t want anybody to tell me what I have to do. I don’t want to tell Lenny what he has to do. We gave him a chair. We gave him a nice opportunity to play with it and make what he wants. It’s life, we have to keep his freshness in mind.

Do you find bringing younger people into your office helps to keep your design fresh?

Not the design. The life. Myself. I don’t try to be young, I try to be timeless. And to work with young people, to be married with a young beautiful wife, to have a young baby of 10 months—that makes me timeless, because I’m old now. That makes a difference. For example Friday morning we leave and Friday at noon I will be at my table working like a devil.

This liveliness and a lack of a strong geometric presence seems to shine through in your latest candlestick design, Abbracciao. What else inspired its form?

I’ve never just been about strict geometric, I’ve been known even more for organic lines. I have enough imagination to make both, or more. But this candle piece I made with Maggiar is about the magic of love. Because if you see the two pieces alone they cannot stand up, but together they make an art piece. This is about love. That’s why we decide to do it and I thank Maggiar for bringing this very nice idea, this very iconic and simple idea.

You referred to Abbracciao as an “art piece” just now, for you is there a difference between art and design object?

Clearly, it’s not the same word. It is not an art object, just a symbol of love. I am not an artist. I am just trying to be a designer, but it is not enough. And I’m not sure that the confusion now between art and design is very good for design. It is very good for art, because they have nothing more to say. But in design, finally we are more rich than in art.

Wood, metal and formed concrete create some of the most creative designs around

by Graham Hiemstra and Evan Orensten

Milan Design Week is always full of surprises and this year’s fair was no exception. We found a strong presence of innovative furnishings mixing modern production techniques with the classic aesthetic of raw materials. From “melting” wood to laser cut marble and a table that can be formed in multiple shapes, here are five of our favorites.

One of the most intriguing pieces was Ferruccio Laviani’s design for Emmemobili. The massive wooden Twaya table is machine molded of countless layers of solid oak. Each corner of the expansive tabletop appears to melt, stretching the rough wood fibers into legs for a look unlike anything we’ve seen before.

Using over 400 wooden slats, the impressive Fan Table from Mauricio Affonso was a highlight of the Royal College of Art ‘s PARADISE show in the Ventura Lambrate neighborhood. Designed to “explore the role of tables as the infrastructure for social interaction,” the transformative design can be effortlessly expanded or contracted to meet the needs of its surroundings. As the rectangle legs are moved the shape changes along with the surface size. From circle to rectangle to square, the Fan Table is a work of pure inspiration and one of the most impressive designs we saw. Affonso, a Brazilian designer earning his Master’s at the school, is one to keep tabs on.

As part of the Vertigo exhibition, student designer Gaetano Gibilras instilled a sense of unknown with the VoroNOI table. Standing at 30cm high with a diameter twice the size, the stone and wood table was cut with innovative digital dissection techniques not generally seen in furniture production. Juxtaposing nicely against the milky stone top, each pinewood leg bares its own unique shape dictated by the unique VoroNOI diagram.

Also seen within the winding streets of Ventura Lambrate, Free Concrete was the product of Studio Itai Bar-On, part of the TLV Express collective. As the name implies, this sculptural piece is hand made with concrete, utilizing a customized bending process that allows the concrete to be rendered in lightweight, free form figures. The process allows for the choice of a smooth surface or a rougher, more natural texture, and this piece takes advantage of both with a smooth surface and a rough interior, to great effect.

Released just days before the fair, the TRI table is one of many inspiring pieces from the multidisciplinary design studio Thinkk. Created with the environment in mind, the table is made with powder coated aluminum and natural teak wood, and comes flat packed. We really appreciate the playful burst of color that extends through the tabletop, base and one of three legs.

Minimally designed seating finds strength in warped wood

While exploring Milan’s Lambrate neighborhood during last week’s Salone del Mobile, we found no shortage of inspiration outside the fair. Inside one of many abandoned warehouse-turned-exhibition spaces we came across a group of promising young designers from Tel Aviv. While each designer involved in the TLV Express collective did well to experiment with materials and technology, Michael Blumenfeld‘s TRIZIN Stools caught our attention with an elegant design aesthetic and original take on construction.

The series of TRIZIN stools—Triz meaning “wedge” in Hebrew—were designed to test the physical boundaries of raw wood while combining traditional woodworking techniques. Each piece is minimally constructed from little more than a few pieces of plywood, a centralized bolt and a great deal of tensioned pressure. Using minimal hardware and no glue or adhesives of any kind, Blumenfeld gives the stools their shape by forcing a wedge attached to the top of the legs between two flat pieces of wood. As the legs go in, the wood flexes to ultimately form a comfortably warped seat with increased rigidity and strength.

The light wood, flexed seat and exposed artisanal construction combine nicely for a clean modern aesthetic that to Blumenfeld “captures the moment of transformation, and the energy put into them by the manufacturer at the time of assembly.” To learn more about Blumenfeld and his TRIZIN see the gallery below.

Malleable OLED technology in a lighting exhibition

Blackbody is an OLED home lighting brand launched in 2010 by the Italian-French company Astron Fiamm. Located in Toulon, France, the company develops and produces OLED-based lighting solutions with the help of established and emerging designers, and for Milan Design Week is presenting a selection of new products as part of the “Wonderoled” exhibition at La Triennale, conceived by Aldo Cibic and Tommaso Corà.

We were struck by the flexibility and incredible range of possibilities that OLED can open to the future of design: the technology lasts 20,000 hours, is 100% recyclable, doesn’t contain any polluting components, is heat-free, glare-free, 2 mm thick and can produce any color of the visible light spectrum. In a way, OLED is both concrete and malleable light, to be shaped and used as a real material that can lead to totally new innovation.

Wonderoled by Blackbody starts with “I.Rain” by Thierry Gaugain, a long-time collaborator of Philippe Stark, who opened his studio in 2011. I.Rain is a modular lighting system wherein each component hangs from the wall shaping clouds from which light falls down like rain.

“Teka” by Aldo Cibic reinterprets the classic cabinet, turning the piece of furniture into a lamp thanks to the addition of a series of light circles. The traditional look of the container is in gentle contrast with its content, creating an object that looks like a new classic.

Nature serves as the inspiration for other two projects by Cibic, “The Wish Tree” and “Blossoms”. “The Wish Tree”, designed in collaboration with Tommaso Corà, is a hanging chandelier, but at the same time a sculptural and minimalistic object. The Cibic design is “Blossoms”, a metallic tree whose branches terminate in imaginary OLED buds.

Wonderoled

17-22 April 2012

Triennale di Milano

Viale Emilio Alemagna 6

20121 Milano, Italy