SUKUMO × MAXDESIGN
SUKUMO Leather, well known for its excellence in leather craftsmanship, has chosen Maxdesign as a ‘unique’ partner for an amazing new collaboration.
At the PMQ pop-up store in Hong Kong (August 21st 2018–March 31st 2019), Maxdesign introduces the Betty armchair and the Betty ottoman dressed in high-end leather produced by the SUKUMO Leather Project. It showcases six months of excellence where “Made in Italy” and “Made in Japan” have come together in an innovative project.
These two incredible brands with the same mission based on quality, sustainability and elegance present the Betty armchair, and the ottoman dressed in high-end leather by SUKUMO Leather. The worlds of fashion and furniture have merged in a sophisticated way, and the collection is distinguished by the natural indigo dye leather for which SUKUMO Leather is known worldwide.
Through the international collaboration, Maxdesign and SUKUMO Leather have created an exclusive product which has brought together the best of both worlds – Japan’s unique natural dyed indigo and Italy’s exceptional upholstery craftsmanship. The Betty armchair and the ottoman define what Maxdesign stands for: versatility, simplicity, and functionality through the expression of form and materials and SUKUMO Leather brings a new perspective to Maxdesign’s vision.
“
I really admire the superior Italian craftsmanship and the strong, recognizable identity of Italy. Hope we could combine our traditional culture, sensitivity, and emotion of Italy and Japan and create a new value for the future! The diagonal stripes design is the best because it really gets the Italian feel in this design.
”
SUKUMO LEATHER, TRADITIONAL CRAFTSMANSHIP
Japanese artisans such as Asai Naoyuki resist the methods and so-called progress of the chemical dye industry. Working in Kyoto, Asai Naoyuki uses traditional methods but continues to explore new possibilities, including the dyeing of indigo leather under the SUKUMO Leather brand. Following a 600-year-old Japanese tradition, the unique indigo colour of SUKUMO Leather is created in a completely natural process by fermenting indigo leaves.
MAXDESIGN, THE PERFECT PARTNER FOR ELEGANCE
Maxdesign is located in the province of Treviso and focuses mainly on the production of seats (chairs and upholstery), tables, and furnishings. Its products feature contemporary, highly functional, and user-friendly design, combined with remarkable physical and visual lightness. Maxdesign’s main ability is to renew itself through incessant ergonomic research, specialised production with innovative materials, accurate colour studies, and collaborations with the most versatile talents on the international creative scene.
At the beginning, Maxdesign used the complex, but at that time cutting-edge, technique of plastic bi-injection moulding. Based on this method and taking a playful and emotive approach, the So Happy and Ricciolina collections soon became long-selling classics.
Collaborations with renowned designers such as Marco Maran, Gabriele Pezzini, Hannes Wettstein, Dominic Symons, Dunja Weber, Marco Acerbis, Tomás Alonso, and Christoph Jenni have enabled the company to constantly evolve and develop.
Over the years, Maxdesign has been open to new ideas and recent additions to its portfolio include the versatile Stratos collection of seats by Studio Hannes Wettstein; the Offset collection by Tomás Alonso, an ultra-flexible system of tables and modular units equally suitable for use at home, in the office, and in the contract furniture industry; Appia & Appia Work, a complete collection for the office, designed for long-lasting comfort and ergonomics.
More recently, Maxdesign has designed a new seating programme, Max. The collection of chairs and armchairs is highly versatile with single interchangeable elements. Two mainstays of the company’s production are high quality and environmental sustainability, reflected in its use of more recyclable materials and in the certifications obtained under the ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 standards. The Maxdesign collections are distributed through an international sales network and displayed in selected showrooms worldwide.
CHRISTOPH JENNI
Christoph was born in 1976 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as the son of Swiss immigrants. After moving to Switzerland, he studied industrial design at FHNW in Aarau. Until 2010, he was a furniture designer at Studio Hannes Wettstein in Zürich, before opening his own studio in Aarau. Christoph describes his work as a synthesis of his Brazilian heritage and Swiss education, combined with the precision and formally calm experience he obtained while working for Hannes Wettstein.
“
It is a great honour to be able to give life to this project together with a brand that represents the perfect synthesis between modernity and tradition.
”
MATERIALS
Upholstery Seat upholstery in SUKUMO Leather: Ita-Shibori and Ai
Base: Dark stained ash
PRICES & DIMENSIONS
Price on demand at sales@sukumolondon.com
ARMCHAIR
W890 | D860 | H690 mm
Weight 25kg
OTTOMAN
W590 | D 590 | H420 mm
Weight 8kg
POP-UP AT PMQ HONG KONG
August 21st 2018- March 31st 2019
PMQ Hong Kong - H408 Showroom
35 Aberdeen St, Central, Hong Kong
Pr&Press office
Ghénos Design Communication
Milano - Barcelona
E-mail - press@ghenos.net
Website - www.ghenos.net