Furnishings model Wekino has made its debut outdoors of South Korea, presenting a set by six Korean design studios at Stockholm Furnishings Honest that included worm-like e-book holders and a vibrant amorphous mirror.
Referred to as Wekino With, the gathering was made by Wekino in collaboration with Stockholm-based Be aware Design Studio and showcased merchandise by designers together with Kwangho Lee.
Among the many items on present on the Swedish furnishings truthful was Lee’s wood Pirouette shelf, which options round dividers that may be spun round to vary its look.
Studio Cha Cha offered its Chroma mirror, an amorphous mirror that was impressed by South Korean textiles constructed from weaving collectively leftover scraps of material.
The Wekino With assortment additionally featured Studio Phrase’s Oddly rug, which drew on a portray from Korea’s Joseon period that depicted “unusual” rock shapes, the model stated.
It has an irregular sample and was designed with various pile heights to present it a tactile really feel.
Wekino determined to launch Wekino With on the truthful due to its collaboration with Be aware Design Studio, which it selected to work with after contemplating a variety of totally different Scandinavian manufacturers.
“We have been planning to return right here [to the fair] for 4 or 5 years and it is the primary time we’re showcasing our assortment in Europe,” Eun Suk Ji, who co-founded Wekino with Soojin Kim, stated on the tradeshow.
Be aware Design Studio and Wekino needed the introduction of Wekino With in Stockholm to be a place to begin for a wider world launch, the manufacturers defined.
“Our plan is to start out in Stockholm after which we go to Milan and possibly Copenhagen,” stated Be aware Design Studio founding companion Cristiano Pigazzini.
“First now we have to try to it is higher to regulate the errors you may make on a smaller scale. And naturally, since we’re primarily based right here, it is simpler for us to assist them.”
The thought behind the Wekino With assortment was to showcase South Korean studios with out referencing conventional Korean design an excessive amount of, however moderately specializing in its present design scene.
“Our first impression of the town of Seoul was the distinction between the hypermodern and the very conventional facet of the town,” Be aware Design Studio product designer Joong Han Lee stated.
“The key phrase that we gave the Korean designers was juxtaposition; to distinction and coexist on the identical time.”
The gathering was additionally a possibility to point out the power of South Korean manufacturing.
“Seoul remains to be an thrilling metropolis for city manufacturing,” Han Lee stated. “When you go to a sure district, there will be an individual there who’s simply casting aluminium whereas smoking a cigarette.”
“For designers, it is heaven – whenever you invite your designer associates from outdoors of Korea, they wish to quiet down there as a result of the whole lot is feasible, from graphic design to product and structure.”
All the furnishings and equipment proven at Stockholm Furnishings Honest have been made in South Korea aside from design agency Studio Pesi’s Stout chair, which was produced in Italy and constructed from powder-coated tubular metal.
The exhibition additionally displayed inventive studio Kuo Duo’s enjoyable, undulating E book Worm, an organically formed sand-casted aluminium tube that can be utilized to retailer books and magazines, and its Reel hanger constructed from the identical materials.
Lastly, Wekino designed two of the items on the furnishings truthful itself, amongst them the plump Billow lounge chair that the model says was knowledgeable “by heavy clouds resting above the mountains”.
It additionally confirmed its modular Deed couch, clad in a vibrant blue-and-black striped cloth.
Wekino and Be aware Design Studio gave the studios free fingers to provide you with their designs for the gathering.
“Crucial factor for us was to ensure that the designers might specific themselves,” Han Lee stated.
“We weren’t fearful about what sort of color or shapes the designs can be, or the manufacturing course of, as a result of we trusted Wekino to have the ability to discover a approach to realise the concepts of the designers.”
Different initiatives on present throughout Stockholm Design Week included a collaboration between British designer Faye Toogood and Finnish furnishings model Vaarnii and Normann Copenhagen chairs constructed from eelgrass and hemp.
Wekino With is on present from 6 to 10 February 2024 at stand A07:14, Stockholm Furnishings Honest, Stockholmsmässan, Mässvägen 1, 125 30 Älvsjö, Sweden. See Dezeen Occasions Information for extra structure and design occasions all over the world.
