“Collaboration for innovation” is the guiding philosophy LABEL/BREED stands by. The newly launched Dutch initiative focusses on establishing collaborations between designers and manufacturers for a series of innovative interior objects.
Designers are paired up with manufacturers that specialise in inventive and unusual materials to seek out new applications for them. Supporting the collaboration throughout, LABEL/BREED is involved from the inception of the design until a beautifully crafted product is released.
The Netherlands is home to revolutionary designers and a thriving manufacturing industry with a wealth of specialist knowledge and expertise in novel technologies and processes. It is therefore essential to keep on fostering collaborations and strive to maintain this quality, explains Stijn Roodnat, co-initiator of LABEL/BREED.
The final products from the first series of collaborations are on show at contemporary design shop The Frozen Fountain in Amsterdam until 28 June.
Flax Chair and Wool and Bio-based Plastic Carpet by Christien Meindertsma
Dutch designer Christien Meindertsma worked with natural fibre specialist Enkev on a chair and a carpet. She combined wool and flax with strong bio-plastic fibres, and then heat-pressed this new material into the shape of a chair. The final product is a minimalistic piece that is as natural to sit on as the materials of its composition.For the carpet wool was warm-pressed to create dense sheets with meshed lines. The carpet has two functions – it can serve as a rug or can be used as acoustic isolation on walls.
Fibre Placement Chair by Marleen Kaptein
Marleen Kaptein, founder of KapteinRoodnat design agency, collaborated with the Dutch National Aerospace Laboratory (NLR) to design Fibre Placement, a chair that adds a human touch to industrial techniques. While working together with the NLR, Kaptein was granted access to a fibre placement robot capable of printing thin but strong carbon tape in multiple directions. With this innovative fabrication technique, the designer was able to create a chair that is both durable and lightweight.
Glazed Brick Bench by Chris Kabel
Chris Kabel, Dutch designer and a professor at Design Academy Eindhoven and ECAL in Switzerland, collaborated with ceramic specialists St. Joris to create a striking bench. St. Joris’ production techniques allowed Kabel to cut bricks according to various specifications. The bricks were then placed together to form a uniquely shaped seating unit.
