Vestre’s neo-brutalist furniture will bring ‘a little madness’ to Paris Fashion Week

Each year, Norwegian outdoor furniture brand Vestre earmarks ten per cent of its production capacity for unconventional, high-ambition collaborations that blend different creative disciplines – an initiative it affectionately calls 'a little madness'. 'We want everybody to think outside the box, to dare to do something that hasn’t been done before,' says Bjørn Fjellstad, CEO of the company known for its sustainability-led manufacturing. 'This madness is a cultural value that really sets us apart – it inspires us as colleagues, but it’s also a great way to test new ideas and push ourselves creatively.'

So far, it’s given rise to projects like The Plus — Vestre’s Bjarke Ingels-designed factory in the Norwegian forest, widely regarded as the world’s most sustainable furniture factory – and the Peace Bench, created in collaboration with Snøhetta, Hydro and the Nobel Peace Center, based on Nelson Mandela’s quote: 'The best weapon is to sit down and talk'. Now, it has produced a new kind of commission: a form-defying bench and mirror by designer Vincent Laine that will be unveiled in Paris this week.

The limited-edition pieces, described as a 'neo-brutalist furniture series', were conceived by Laine under his studio Anagram, in collaboration with fashion designer Willy Cartier. Produced at The Plus, the sculptural works will serve as scenographic centrepieces for the launch of Jacques Cartier Studio, a new fashion brand co-founded by Willy Cartier, debuting at Paris Men’s Fashion Week later this month (24-29 June) – and marking his shift into creative direction.

Made from layered plates of galvanised steel, the bench's rib-like structure takes cues from historic boatbuilding – a nod to the label’s namesake, the 17th-century French explorer Jacques Cartier (Jacques is also Willy’s middle name). Atop this sits a sculpted wooden seat, CNC-milled from pine and designed to appear as a single, fluid form. Although galvanised steel and wood are materials Vestre knows well, this project reimagined them entirely. 'There’s a kind of inversion in the materials,' says Laine. 'The seat becomes liquid – it could be water, or even a garment. From some angles, it almost looks like it’s draped fabric rather than wood.'

Its seven components were assembled and finished by hand, with natural knots and grain celebrated rather than concealed. Achieving that effect was no small feat, even with the help of Påskallavik Snickeri AB, a Swedish woodworking specialist and long-time Vestre partner. 'It was a very tricky project, even though they're extremely talented craftsmen – to make everything look seamless, so you don't see that there are seven pieces, but just one.'

The project, says Laine, marks a new chapter in his practice. Known for precision-driven work for brands like Leica, Hasselblad, and Db, this commission let him experiment with form, emotion and ambiguity. 'It’s like a distant present moment that’s waiting to be witnessed,' he says. 'Something from a near future – just around the corner, but not quite here yet.'

Next week, the bench and mirror will take centre stage in Paris as part of the scenography for Jacques Cartier Studio’s menswear presentation during fashion week. Models will interact with the pieces in a choreographed performance that blends fashion, furniture, and live music – a layered debut that reflects the collaborative spirit behind the project. 'We’ve always wanted to work together on something,' says Laine of his creative partnership with Willy Cartier. 'It felt like a natural point where we could lean into each other’s brands and do something that’s inherently a mix of us.'

For Fjellstad, the project captures everything 'a little madness' is meant to encourage. 'It was something I'd never seen before, and it just immediately sparked an interest,' he says remembering the first time he saw Laine's design. 'From an industrial perspective, it doesn't make any sense, but from an artistic perspective, it's spectacular. The way we combined a rather rough steel material with this beautiful piece of wood – it's something that's never been done before. And when we finally joined the two together, something happened. It was a very emotional moment.' While the pieces won’t go into wider production, he sees them as a kind of test – a way to push what’s possible and embrace what he calls 'calculated madness'.

vestre.com