Think sports matches, the beach, your back yard, long queues and camping. These are all times when a fold-up seat can come in handy.
German designer Patrick Frey has created the simple but very clever FIDA portable seat for Vial. It looks much like a blanket that is folded out to become a seat. Weighing in at just 2.7kg, the FIDA is also light to carry. Semi-rigid elements are sewn into the one side of the “blanket”, together with a strap and clasp. The corner straps are then brought together and secured with the clasp, forming a triangular seat back as the main support.
A military-grade outdoor fabric, Cordura is used to cover the FIDA, which means its water-resistant and fade-proof. The triangular backrest meanwhile has pockets cleverly sewn in, ideal for magazine and other knickknacks. The straps that secure the backrest also secure the blanket when it’s folded up.
Simple, well-considered products are the ones that usually become design icons, and FIDA and Frey have already been recognised with a 2011 iF product design award.
