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Louis Vuitton’s Objets Nomades has a reputation for celebrating innovative design – and deservedly so. Since it launched in 2012, the collection of furniture and lighting pieces inspired by the French maison’s long history of luggage design has grown year-on-year, adding Atelier Oï’s leather hammock, India Mahdavi’s foldable tray table and the Campana brothers’ sculptural sofas into the mix. Each has shared the limelight in Milan’s most luxurious palazzos as part of the annual, city-wide furniture fair Salone del Mobile.
From Nendo to Patricia Urquiola, Louis Vuitton has worked with the biggest names in design, so Daniele Bortotto’s reaction to being called up by the brand – “ I just couldn’t believe it” – is understandable. One half of Treviso-based design duo Zanellato/Bortotto, alongside Giorgia Zanellato, the pair were approached by Louis Vuitton at the end of 2017 to join the fold. (There are eight new pieces making their debut this year too, from Raw Edges, the Campana brothers, India Mahdavi and Marcel Wanders.)
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton
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The result of Zanellato/Bortotto’s year-long collaboration will be unveiled at Salone: a dramatic room divider made of three overlapping metal circles mounted on a marble base, and braided with strips of Louis Vuitton leather in muted greys, pinks and blues, to evoke sunrise reflections in a Venetian lagoon (a recurring theme in their practice). Its name, Mandala Screen, references the spiritual symbol of the universe in Buddhism and Hinduism, often used to aid meditation. “I think it has a hypnotic quality,” Zanellato tells Vogue. “It reminds you of the infinite. Daniele and I did a lot of research and looked at never-ending shapes. Then, we had the idea to take the classic flower shape of the Louis Vuitton monogram and drop it into this circular pattern.”
With brass hinges that allow for different configurations, the screen’s adaptable structure fits in with the Objets Nomades ethos. “We’re fascinated by the nomadic communities of Mongolia who live in yurts, and we loved the idea of flexible structures covered with textiles – inside of which the space would be divided using decorative screens,” explains Bortotto. Zanellato concurs: “A screen divider is a nomadic object. It’s something dynamic that can totally transform a room. You can move it, you can fold it, you can keep changing its shape.”
The result of Zanellato/Bortotto’s year long collaboration is the Mandala Screen, a room divider made of overlapping metal circles and braided with strips of Louis Vuitton leather
Tommaso Sartori courtesy of Louis Vuitton
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The Italian duo started their design studio in 2013, after meeting as students at ECAL in Lausanne. Both had previously studied at the Università Iuav di Venezia, which sparked a mutual appreciation for the floating city. “Venice was really the beginning of our collaboration,” says Bortotto. “When you look around, you realise how much craftsmanship and heritage there is in our city.” It, too, was the starting point of their first project, Acqua Alta, a series of jacquard tapestries and delicate glass objects dedicated to Venice, which were showcased at a fringe event of Salone del Mobile. “People had a really emotional reaction to the work, and it was also where we met Patrizia Moroso [who runs the famed Italian furniture brand with her brother Roberto],” he adds. “She invited us to work for her straight away.” The pair returned to Salone the following year to work on a display with Moroso and have since exhibited their work at Milan’s Triennale Design Museum, Rome’s MAXXI and London’s Aram Gallery.
While collaborating with Louis Vuitton would surely mark the pinnacle of any designer’s career, Zanellato and Bortotto aren’t done yet. Their contribution to Objets Nomades is just one of the many projects they’re preparing to unveil at this year’s Salone. They are creating tables, lamps and shelves made of inflatable materials and concrete for Galleria Luisa Delle Piane. “At the moment, we just have some inflatables in the studio and some large pieces of concrete, but nothing is joined together,” Zanellato laughs. “It’s a bit scary, but also really exciting.”
The project she’s most excited about? “We’ve been working with a community of refugees who are waiting for their permits to stay in Italy,” she replies. “They’re mainly from Senegal and Gambia. We’ve designed a collection of chairs, and they’ve produced them. They will be on display at Cascina Cuccagna where the focus is on social projects and sustainable design. It’s great that we can work with a luxury company like Louis Vuitton to create a refined product, while also being able to work with new artisans who are making things with their hands. To get to do both at Salone is a privilege.”
Salone del Mobile runs from 9 to 14 April, 2019
Thank you
https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/louis-vuitton-salones-del-mobile-collaboration
From Nendo to Patricia Urquiola, Louis Vuitton has worked with the biggest names in design, so Daniele Bortotto’s reaction to being called up by the brand – “ I just couldn’t believe it” – is understandable. One half of Treviso-based design duo Zanellato/Bortotto, alongside Giorgia Zanellato, the pair were approached by Louis Vuitton at the end of 2017 to join the fold. (There are eight new pieces making their debut this year too, from Raw Edges, the Campana brothers, India Mahdavi and Marcel Wanders.)
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton
Advertisement
Meet Jermaine Gallacher, London’s Coolest New Furniture Impresario
The result of Zanellato/Bortotto’s year-long collaboration will be unveiled at Salone: a dramatic room divider made of three overlapping metal circles mounted on a marble base, and braided with strips of Louis Vuitton leather in muted greys, pinks and blues, to evoke sunrise reflections in a Venetian lagoon (a recurring theme in their practice). Its name, Mandala Screen, references the spiritual symbol of the universe in Buddhism and Hinduism, often used to aid meditation. “I think it has a hypnotic quality,” Zanellato tells Vogue. “It reminds you of the infinite. Daniele and I did a lot of research and looked at never-ending shapes. Then, we had the idea to take the classic flower shape of the Louis Vuitton monogram and drop it into this circular pattern.”
With brass hinges that allow for different configurations, the screen’s adaptable structure fits in with the Objets Nomades ethos. “We’re fascinated by the nomadic communities of Mongolia who live in yurts, and we loved the idea of flexible structures covered with textiles – inside of which the space would be divided using decorative screens,” explains Bortotto. Zanellato concurs: “A screen divider is a nomadic object. It’s something dynamic that can totally transform a room. You can move it, you can fold it, you can keep changing its shape.”
The result of Zanellato/Bortotto’s year long collaboration is the Mandala Screen, a room divider made of overlapping metal circles and braided with strips of Louis Vuitton leather
Tommaso Sartori courtesy of Louis Vuitton
The Most Envy-Inducing Bathrooms In Vogue
The Italian duo started their design studio in 2013, after meeting as students at ECAL in Lausanne. Both had previously studied at the Università Iuav di Venezia, which sparked a mutual appreciation for the floating city. “Venice was really the beginning of our collaboration,” says Bortotto. “When you look around, you realise how much craftsmanship and heritage there is in our city.” It, too, was the starting point of their first project, Acqua Alta, a series of jacquard tapestries and delicate glass objects dedicated to Venice, which were showcased at a fringe event of Salone del Mobile. “People had a really emotional reaction to the work, and it was also where we met Patrizia Moroso [who runs the famed Italian furniture brand with her brother Roberto],” he adds. “She invited us to work for her straight away.” The pair returned to Salone the following year to work on a display with Moroso and have since exhibited their work at Milan’s Triennale Design Museum, Rome’s MAXXI and London’s Aram Gallery.
While collaborating with Louis Vuitton would surely mark the pinnacle of any designer’s career, Zanellato and Bortotto aren’t done yet. Their contribution to Objets Nomades is just one of the many projects they’re preparing to unveil at this year’s Salone. They are creating tables, lamps and shelves made of inflatable materials and concrete for Galleria Luisa Delle Piane. “At the moment, we just have some inflatables in the studio and some large pieces of concrete, but nothing is joined together,” Zanellato laughs. “It’s a bit scary, but also really exciting.”
The project she’s most excited about? “We’ve been working with a community of refugees who are waiting for their permits to stay in Italy,” she replies. “They’re mainly from Senegal and Gambia. We’ve designed a collection of chairs, and they’ve produced them. They will be on display at Cascina Cuccagna where the focus is on social projects and sustainable design. It’s great that we can work with a luxury company like Louis Vuitton to create a refined product, while also being able to work with new artisans who are making things with their hands. To get to do both at Salone is a privilege.”
Salone del Mobile runs from 9 to 14 April, 2019
Thank you
https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/louis-vuitton-salones-del-mobile-collaboration