Fashion brands pop up at Design Miami and Art Basel Miami Beach
Last week in Miami, while the focus of the event was the voracious consumption of contemporary art and design, visitors were never far from the influence of a fashion house or two.
Gucci sponsored a small exhibition of work by artist Kris Knight - brooding boys painted in pastel tones - and Bisazza showed the mosaic designs, launched earlier this year in Milan, that converted iconic Pucci prints into dazzling wall treatments. A new design in cream, sea green, navy and brown, had been specially created for Miami. 'I love the way the tiles bring texture to the patterns,' said Emilio Pucci's creative director Peter Dundas. 'It reminds me of the mosaics in San Marco. It's sort of timeless.'
Over at Design Miami, Fendi's furniture arm teamed up with Britt Moran and Emiliano Salci of Dimore Studio. The current darlings of the fashion pack (they've recently worked with Bottega Veneta and Hermès) translated Fendi's luxurious ethos into a flesh coloured shorn mink daybed, and buttery leather armchairs, while a monumental shelving system, with thin coloured glass panels, looked like a modern, 3D stained glass window.
At Swarovski the issue was sustainability: 'They're trying to figure out how to use less water in their industrial process,' explained Margaret Cavenagh, the interiors director at architect Jeanne Gang's Chicago studio. Huge images of melting glaciers by photographer James Balog lined the walls of the booth where a central table was pitted with holes, like more melting ice. 'We want to start the conversation,' said Cavenagh.
After last year's success during Art Basel Miami Beach in building a-never-before-constructed beach house originally designed by Charlotte Perriand in 1934, Louis Vuitton jumped forwards four decades to produce 18 pieces of furniture designed by Pierre Paulin in 1972 for Herman Miller but never realised. 'Nicolas Ghesquière had asked to use the 'Osaka' sofa for his Cruise show in May - he's a collector of my father's work,' explained son Benjamin Paulin. 'So we told him about these unused designs, eh voila!'
They included the delightful floor-hugging 'Tapis-Siege' seating, with a triangular construction that can be reconfigured in many different ways. 'My father's ambition was always to put modernity into people's houses,' said Paulin. Bally, meanwhile, had erected one of Jean Prouvé's 1948 pre-fabricated houses in the garden of the Delano and filled it with 'minimalist sketches' of furniture forms by French duo Kolkoz, alongside American artist Zak Kitnic's exclusive series of metal shelving bearing a hermit crab printed pattern.
Not far from the Louis Vuitton show in Miami's sparkling Design District, a store called Mr Nobody and Mr Somebody had also popped up, offering a wildly eclectic mix of whimsical products designed by Sharon Lombard and made in Ghana, South Africa and the US (from golden chickens to walking sticks inscribed with slogans and vinyl flooring from a photograph taken in Rubens house) alongside clothing from the archives of Walter van Beirendonck and Bernhard Willhelm. 'My work's about curiosity and chaos,' said Wilhelm, sporting a violet baseball cap with a South Beach logo. 'It's made in Japan and Belgium. But we popped up in Miami, can you believe.'
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Sarah Solis’ first furniture collection is an homage to art deco
‘Is it weird to call furniture sexy?’ Los Angeles-based designer Sarah Solis discusses her debut furniture line and new brand and store, Galerie Solis
By Dan Howarth Published
-
‘Very Roman, very Bulgari’: Mary Katrantzou on the ancient roots of her opulent first accessories collection for Bulgari
Greek fashion designer Mary Katrantzou, Bulgari’s new creative director of leather goods and accessories, breaks down her debut ‘Calla’ collection for Wallpaper*
By Jack Moss Published
-
First look: Western Mongolia meets Kew Gardens in John Pawson and Oyuna Tserendorj’s cashmere throws
Architectural designer John Pawson and cashmere designer Oyuna Tserendor have collaborated on a cashmere throw collection inspired by Pawson’s 70m Lake Crossing in the Royal Botanical Gardens
By Scarlett Conlon Published
-
Design Miami 2022: highlights from the fair and around town
Design Miami 2022 (30 November – 4 December) aims at ‘rebooting the roots of our relationship with nature and collective structures, ecospheres, and urban contexts’
By Sujata Burman Last updated
-
Nendo’s collaborations with Kyoto artisans go on view in New York
‘Nendo sees Kyoto’ is on view at Friedman Benda (until 15 October 2022), showcasing the design studio's collaboration with six artisans specialised in ancient Japanese crafts
By Pei-Ru Keh Last updated
-
Italian craftsmanship comes to Los Angeles in this eclectic Venice Canals apartment
Boffi Los Angeles celebrates a juxtaposition of texture throughout a waterside bolthole
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
Design Miami/Basel 2022 explores the Golden Age
Design Miami/Basel 2022, led by curatorial director Maria Cristina Didero, offers a positive spin after the unprecedented times of the pandemic, and looks at the history and spirit of design
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated
-
Kvadrat’s flagship New York showrooms encompass colourful design codes
Industrial designer Jonathan Olivares and architect Vincent Van Duysen have worked with Danish textile brand Kvadrat on the vast new space, also featuring furniture by Moroso
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
What to see at New York Design Week 2022
Discover Wallpaper’s highlights from New York Design Week 2022 (10 – 20 May 2022): the fairs, exhibitions and design openings to discover
By Pei-Ru Keh Last updated
-
Colour defines LA ceramics studio and showroom of Bari Ziperstein
Step inside the multifunctional ceramics studio, office and showroom of designer and artist Bari Ziperstein, designed by local firm Foss Hildreth
By Pei-Ru Keh Last updated
-
Design for Ukraine: Bocci and Design Miami join forces to raise funds
The online sale of iconic Bocci pieces will benefit GlobalGiving’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund, providing urgently needed humanitarian aid
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated