Milan's Salone del Mobile has today played host to yet another design innovation, with the announcement of the 2015 Swarovski Designers of the Future Award winners.
Hong Kong's Elaine Ng Yan Ling and London-based Tomás Alonso and Studio Swine scooped up the prestigious prize, which will see the young talents collaborate with Swarovski to produce works for the 10th anniversary edition of Design Miami/ Basel (16-21 June).
Selected by a jury of leading figures in the design world, including Wallpaper* Editor-in-Chief Tony Chambers, Swarovski's Nadja Swarovski and fuseproject founder Yves Behar among others, the award is known as an annual indicator of the most exciting names to watch in the industry. Previous laureates include Asif Khan, Philippe Malouin, Bethan Laura Wood and Max Lamb. The latter three are showcasing impressive collections during this very Salone season.
As part of the award, this year's victors visited Swarovski's historic base in Wattens, Austria, to draw inspiration from the crystal brand's legacy of creativity and innovation. With the archives, workshops and various programs at their fingertips, the designers had plenty to play with, as illustrated in the film - revealed exclusively by Wallpaper* first - featured here.
Rodman Primack, executive director of Design Miami/, spoke of the significance of the prize to the artists and the design community as a whole. 'This year's winners are perfect examples of the kind of talent we are eager to shine a light on; they experiment with materials, push the traditional boundaries of design and bring fresh energy and ideas to the collectible design market.'
Tomás Alonso is a London-based designer, born in Spain, known for his simple aesthetic and functionality. Here, he selects crystals from the collection at Swarovski's historic Austrian base in Wattens
Studio Swine, which stands for Super Wide Interdisciplinary New Explorers, is an Anglo-Japanese duo comprising of architect Azusa Murakami and artist Alexander Groves.
Hong Kong's Elaine Ng Yang Ling is the third winner. She is shown here at Wattens
The trip to Wattens was organised as part of the award. With the archives, workshops and various programs at their fingertips, the designers had plenty to play with
Elaine Ng Yan Ling looks at crystals
Studio Swine peeking in draws
Alonso inspects one of Swarovksi's glittering chandeliers
The purpose of the visit was for the winners to draw inspiration from the crystal brand's legacy of creativity and innovation
Alonso in his London studio
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