Design Dishes, bowls, trays, vases, candlesticks, wood products, scarves, buttons and textiles. Yes, there is hardly any end to the products from the company Pure Culture in Kolding, which is among the exhibitors at Formland Autumn 2009 in Fairs MCH Herning.

Pure Culture was incorporated in 2004 by Trine and Torben Holm Larsen. They had for several years traveled to many tradition-rich countries in the Far East, South America and Africa, and it was on these trips that the inspiration for Pure Culture was created. The basic idea was – and is – to explore the many wonderful crafts that exist in countries from which it chooses the most exciting products and disseminates them in Scandinavia.

They thus established contacts with the best producers and subsequently imported the products. Additionally Pure Culture established local knowledge and quality control at production sites and from the first day Pure Culture took an active part in human rights, environment and anti-corruption.

Pure Culture then began to put their own stamp on these traditional handicraft products by linking the design staff with a wide network of Danish and foreign designers and artists. In this way, they always add to the products something new, a custom Scandinavian style and make them tomorrow’s trends.

Today, Pure Culture is a well established and dynamic company with a large group of customers at home and abroad.

The inspiration behind Hang is retro forms that make Hang a classic design object that fits most homes. It is timeless and the epitome of design traditions that we are proud of in Denmark.

When we speak of Danish design, we speak often about function, aesthetics and form. Precisely these properties make Hang a good example. Hang is very simple and has a more functional than decorative expression. I think that is liberating, because if the lamp can wear it alone, it is complete. It is not postulated. It is what it is, explains Rikke Hagen.

Hang is produced using traditional methods of production of a metal printing on Amager. It’s glossy exterior and matt interior comes in black and white and in two sizes.

New Danish Modern is a new line from Normann Copenhagen, which has roots in the Danish design tradition where quality and attention to detail is a priority. The line is designed by Denmark’s best designers and is exclusively produced in Denmark with care for the design idea and crafts design. The concept is based on furniture art, so the line will be available in smaller productions.

Besides Rikke Hagen is currently supporting these Danish designers with the New Danish Modern: Ole Jensen, Jesper K. Thomsen, Søren Ulrik Petersen, Claydies, Peter Johansen & Thomas Bentzen and others.

April 2009

Georg Jensen Takes Danish Design to the Next Level

Scandinavian luxury lifestyle brand Georg Jensen has appointed designer Todd Bracher Creative Director of the brand and head of a new creative force consisting of the Georg Jensen internal design team, the Georg Jensen designer network and Copenhagen based design consultants OeO. 

April 30, 2009 – Today Georg Jensen announced that Todd Bracher will take the reins at Georg Jensen as Creative Director, responsible for the full range of Georg Jensen products from jewellery and watches to flatware and hollowware. Todd Bracher will take up his new position on May 1st.  Together with Georg Jensen’s in-house product development team and Georg Jensen’s unique designer network, Bracher and OeO will energize and align the future design and brand vision. 

As part of the new strategy Todd Bracher will be working together with his long-time partner Thomas Lykke and Anne-Marie Buemann from OeO, a Danish based, and strategy-driven design company with vast experience from the design industry. The new set-up allows Georg Jensen to unite the best of today’s Danish and international design competencies with a strong strategic and commercial approach to new product introductions.  

“I am thrilled and honoured to be joining Georg Jensen. To be part of this brand and to help sculpt its vision has been a long-term dream for me. Georg Jensen has a specific language and intelligence, it communicates on so many levels.  The possibilities are endless and we intend to explore them”, Todd Bracher says. 

The appointment of Todd Bracher is part of the strategy that CEO Ulrik Garde Due introduced when he joined the company from British top fashion label Burberry last year. A strategy, which is turning the traditional Danish Silversmith into a Scandinavian luxury lifestyle brand with an integrated product range. 

“Todd Bracher was an obvious choice for the position as Creative Director. He is perfectly aware of the brand’s many qualities and appreciates the craftsmanship and the unique sense of style. Yet, he has a young and fresh approach to continue the creative developments. I am convinced he will be able to take Georg Jensen to the next level”, Ulrik Garde Due says. 

Since 1904 Georg Jensen has succeeded in attracting and working with some of the most talented designers around the globe. One of these talented designers is Todd Bracher who has designed for Georg Jensen since 2004 and will now be in charge of identifying and supporting the next generation of design stars, joining such legendary artists as Georg Jensen, Arne Jacobsen and Henning Koppel. 

When, back in 1999, Todd moved to Denmark to study in Copenhagen at the Danish Design School he soon became fascinated by the Danish design tradition and shortly after launched his own beautiful sculptural furniture and home accessories for Danish and international companies such as Fritz Hansen and Zanotta. 

“The works of Georg Jensen himself, Henning Koppel and Arne Jacobsen have shaped who I am as a designer and are the very reason why I eventually moved to Denmark to look ‘behind the scenes’ at the source of these works. I discovered that the forms of the Georg Jensen collection capture the generosity and elegance that is built into the Danes and their way of life”, says Todd, who, at Georg Jensen, will be defining the brand’s future design philosophy.  

“Design is much more than creating forms and shapes. It is about the heart and mind that has produced it. For us to maintain brand coherence we must define what the heart must feel and the mind think and the rest will follow”, Todd Bracher says. 

Critics might argue that asking a foreigner to take the Georg Jensen design language into the future is not the obvious thing to do. That it would take a native Dane to understand the true essence of Georg Jensen – the tradition, the story and the role the Silversmithy has played in creating the term Danish Design. 

“The heritage is huge and the responsibility is vast. Part of Todd’s training was here in Copenhagen, which mixed with his international experience allows us to get an external point of view of Danish design with an internal understanding. For me it is bringing in the right person who in his soul understands where Georg Jensen is coming from and who has the skills, the courage and the ability to bring Georg Jensen and Danish design into the next century. To me Todd Bracher is that person,” Ulrik Garde Due states. 

Ulrik Garde Due, CEO  Todd Bracher, Creative Director

The idle life and the pioneering design are in focus at Formland Spring 2009 in MCH Messecenter Herning. CANDY is the theme when Scandinavia’s biggest flagship within decorative art, design and interior accessories opens from 30 January to 2 February 2009.

Now Formland launches its trend theme for the fair in the spring of 2009. CANDY will be a holistic experience where all senses are exited. The visitors will experience a universe of dynamism, colours and energy in MCH Messecenter Herning. The optimism gets a sugar fix and according to Project Manager Lars Jespersen there will be room for commercial, new and creative thinking.

- CANDY radiates optimism and new ideas at a time when the financial crisis also affects the design industry. It is an important factor that Formland rises to the occasion when the industry is having a hard time. First and foremost the fair is an important trading centre for the buyers – and here people get the latest inspiration. The visitors will therefore get a toolbox containing specific tools for implementing innovatory changes in their shop, Project Manager Lars Jespersen, MCH Messecenter Herning Kongrescenter explains.

The visitors will find that CANDY plays a unifying role throughout the fair. Both as regards colours and at the trend areas where the style is based on the theme. CANDY is also reflected in the food at the trend cafés and in the various talks with famous experts and people from the industry.

Think differently – THINK PINK

In the trend zone THINK PINK you will be able to have different, creative thoughts. Based on the colour pink which is one of the hottest colours of the season the stage is set for creativity, happiness and optimism in the zone. According to Trend Stylist Anette Eckmann those are important key words for obtaining the required progress it takes if you want to survive in the design sector.

- In times of recession we have to think differently and to be positive so the sentiment can be changed from negative to positive. Businesses managing to challenge the consumer’s endless desire for renewal will get out of the crisis successfully. THINK PINK is about daring to say yes to the future, to the hope and the new possibilities, Anette Eckmann from Eckmann Alive says. THINK PINK consists of products from Formland’s exhibitors – everything from famous brands to brand new designs.

New Note accelerates

The new and pioneering designs will yet again have their own area at Formland. The New Note area which includes well-known trademarks and brands, e.g. within furniture and interior accessories, was launched in the autumn of 2008 – and with great success. The area will be even bigger at the fair in 2009. The selection of brands has already started and Trend Consultant Mads Arlien-Søborg, who is the curator for the area, will be responsible for the selection. Among the New Note exhibitors you will find We do Wood, Mater, Lene Toni Kjeld and Sort of Coal.

It will also be here at the New Note area that you find the new and promising designs. Wildcards are granted to a number of new and talented designers who will exhibit their own products in the hall. The designers come from ‘Designskolen i Kolding’ (the design school in Kolding) and the Danish Design School in Copenhagen. 

Formland Spring 2009 will take place from 30 January to 2 February 2009 in MCH Messecenter Herning. Approx. 600 exhibitors will attend Scandinavia’s biggest trade fair for design, decorative art and interior accessories. In 2009 Formland can celebrate its 25th anniversary. This will be celebrated both at the fair in the spring and at Formland Autumn 2009, on 14-17 August. Read more about the fair and the trend theme CANDY at www.formland.com.

‘It is the first time the dishcloth has been approached in this way. It has been created in new, different materials and can stand unsupported – also when wet. Eva Solo’s solution is a successful attempt to bring more aesthetics into the kitchen’, the nomination from the prize committee states.

The new product from Eva Solo differs from traditional dishcloths in several ways. It is cylindrical and manufactured of micro fibre with a core of absorbent foam. The material means that the cloth unfolds after use and therefore can stand unsupported on the accompanying stainless steel holder.

The Eva Solo Dishcloth is available in sand, grey and black colours. The recommended retail price for two dishcloths with holder is DKK 199.75. Additional dishcloths can be purchased, a pack of two costing DKK 99.75.

Nowadays we don’t have protracted ceremonies because there isn’t time. Nevertheless, we want the experience of enjoying the nectar of the fine leaves to be an aesthetic pleasure for all the senses. To fulfil this desire, Rosendahl is now introducing the Grand Cru tea set, an attractive teapot in ivory-white bone china porcelain and cups and saucers made of the same.

As in the Emperor’s day, the teapot is embellished. Not with colours, but in the stylistically consistent, minimalist spirit of Scandinavia, where simplicity of form is the essence of the art.

However… the Emperor’s porcelain makers worked hard on different thicknesses of porcelain to create motifs. So have Rosendahl’s designers with the new Grand Cru teapot and matching cups.

In four places from the base to half way up the teapot and cup are the four grooves, the Grand Cru lines. Wider and deeper at the bottom, narrower and less deep at the middle. Grand Cru’s unique hallmark.

The recommended retail price of the teapot is EUR 56.95; the cup and saucer cost EUR 23.95.

The recommended retail price of the teapot is GBP 39.95; the cup and saucer cost GBP 16.95.

The tradition of decorating the Christmas tables at Royal Copenhagen on Amagertorv began 44 years ago, and until the mid 1970s, six to seven of Royal Copenhagen’s own artists have each year laid the tables with the purpose of creating a joyful atmosphere in the beautiful store.

In 2007, Royal Copenhagen returns to the original idea of the Christmas tables and asks the artists and designers, who create Royal Copenhagen’s products, to ensure that we all get in the right Christmas mood.

This year’s artists and designers are:

Karen Kjældgård-Larsen, who has created the Blue Fluted Mega service
Ole Jensen, who has designed the Ole service
Monica Ritterband, who is the creator of the Musica service and figurines
Violise Lunn, who is behind a new Christmas collection
Niels Bastrup, who is the creative director at Royal Copenhagen
Shane Brox, who will launch a new children’s service called Masquerade
Jette Frölich, who has provided Royal Copenhagen with Christmas spirit since 1989
The Christmas tables can be seen at the Royal Copenhagen Flagship Store on Amagertorv 6 from 22 November to 31 December 2007.

In the late 1980s, Flemming Bo Hansen designed one of the simplest and most elegant digital watches the world has ever seen. It stood out distinctly from other digital watches on the market. After decades of attention to modern styling, we now present the WATCH with the designer’s original, simple interface in new digital and analogue versions – all true to the original, celebrated model.

Award-winning designer Flemming Bo Hansen’s WATCH range is designed according to a principle of simplicity and clean lines. Everything superfluous has been eliminated, and what is left is a watch in its purest conceivable form. Nothing superfluous, nothing lacking.

WATCH is created according to the proportions of the Golden Ratio. The concept refers to the ratio of two sizes that, from antiquity, mathematicians and scientists as well as artists have regarded as harmonious. These proportions are found in nature, such as in our DNA and in the spiral of the conch, but also in architecture and paintings all over the world.

From Tokyo to New York, Flemming Bo Hansen’s watches and face have become famous. Years of working in the two metropolises characterise his styling with a clearly preserved respect for Danish design tradition.

It is no coincidence that WATCH is the basic cornerstone of Rosendahl’s WATCH collection and is represented in the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

There are four watches in Rosendahl’s and Flemming Bo Hansen’s WATCH collection 2007: Two gents’ watches and two ladies’ watches in digital and analogue versions respectively. The price of the gents’ and ladies’ watch is EUR 349,-.

Dressed in a sophisticated leather holster made of the most exquisite Nomade leather, Serenata rests in safe hands. Louis Vuitton has designed the leather holster in the Nomade leather series selected for some exceptional items of luggage, bags, shoes and accessories.

It is made of carefully selected cowhide leathers with a totally flawless surface. Tanned with plant extracts, natural cowhide leather develops an elegant copper-toned patina with time.

The lining is made of micro fibres, and the discretely stamped Louis Vuitton name at the bottom adds a final touch to the total impression of elegance and craftsmanship. The leather holster totally protects Serenata, yet leaves it open for easy operation and access to all the features of the music phone.

Louis Vuitton and Bang & Olufsen, loyal to the vision of their founders, share the same passion for innovation and modernity. From the start, both companies have established a tradition for creating state-of-the-art products that use the newest materials and technologies, while paying careful attention to elegance, beauty and craftsmanship.

The two companies have worked together now on several occasions, and a creative relationship based on a deep professional respect and an intense sense of affinity has evolved. Designers at Louis Vuitton already created an exclusive case for the Serene phone in 2005 and a holster for the BeoSound 2 digital MP3 player in 2004.

Serenata in its elegant leather holster will be on display at selected Bang & Olufsen retailers, and can be purchased in selected Louis Vuitton stores from November 2007.

- Quite often only the environmental issues are brought forward in the discussion about sustainable design. At this years Designboost event we would like to broaden the view. We think it is important to turn things upside down. Sometimes left is actually right, says David Carlson, one of the founders behind Designboost.

- We believe in knowledge exchange. The more you give, the more you get. Our goal is that Designboost will be characterised by new insight, new thoughts and preferably laughter, or as we put it; right, aha, haha, says Peer Eriksson, one of the Designboost founders.
The ten last speakers are:

Jody Turner http://www.cultureoffuture.com/ Culture of Future provides visually flavourful conversation, inspirational POV and leading edge trend language encompassing tech to retail, generations to culture and design to sustainability.  Founder and CEO, Jody Turner, is a “Trend Hunter” or “Meaning Hunter” and travels globally to present ideas on the future of culture and design.

Sean Pillot de Chenecey http://www.captaincrikey.com/ Sean Pillot de Chenecey works with research and brand development. He injects vitality and creativity into consumer insight and brand positioning. Before starting the company Sean spent ten years with cutting-edge agencies. He is often quoted on brand/consumer issues by the media and writes for a range of business and consumer publications.

Tim Power http://www.tim-power.com/
Tim Power, architect and designer based in Milan. For the past decade the office of Tim Power has worked on a variety of projects including furniture, lighting, interiors and architecture for a large international client base. Recently, with the participation of Slow Food and Boffi, he has conducted a program at the I.E.D. on researching and designing self sufficient kitchen units.

Olof Kolte http://www.olofkoltedesign.com/ Civil Engineer KTH, Stockholm 1990, Master of Art RCA, London 1998, has worked as Civil Engineer in France, Mexico, and Latvia, own design practice in London 1998-2000 and in Malmö, Sweden since 2000, part time lecturer at Industrial Design LTH since 2001 Kevin Low http://www.small-projects.com/ Kevin Low runs smallprojects which is a company that conceptualizes, designs and builds things; primarily architecture and utility design. Kevin studied closely with the Aga Khan Foundation and over various periods, has been professionally involved in writing, environmental sculpture, illustration, teaching and copyrighting.

Oliver Ike http://www.ikebranco.ch/
Oliver Ike founded Ikepod Watch company in 1986 and worked as its CEO until 2003. Today manager & contributing writer of Ikebranco productions, a company operating in the field of interior and architecture photography and publishing. He has various consulting mandates in the watch business and as well new projects in the pipeline in the field of watches.

Jonas Bylund http://www.syntes-studio.com Jonas Bylund is the co-founder and Creative Director of Syntes Studio, a product design and branding agency based in Stockholm. Syntes Studios work spans from strategy, product design, packaging and graphic design and the client list include British mobile communications leader O2, H&M, L’oreal and Estee Lauder. He is regularly lecturing at various conferences around the world.

Mårten Claesson http://www.claesson-koivisto-rune.se/
Mårten Claesson is one of the designers and architects of Claesson Koivisto Rune. They have been working with everything from interiors, culture house in Japan to products and furniture design. Their assigners include Asplund, Offecct, Boffi and Cappellini. Mårten Claesson is a regular lecturer and has spoken all around the world.

Ewa Kumlin + Kerstin Sylwan http://www.svenskform.se/, http://www.kerstinsylwan.se/ Ewa Kumlin is managing director at Svensk Form which is missioned by the Governement to promote Swedish Design in Sweden and abroad and to run the official meeting place for design in Sweden. Kerstin Sylwan works as a designer with a deep interest for sustainable development. She is also founder of the project “Saving the planet in style.
The other fifteen speakers that have been announced earlier are: Satyendra Pakhale, Jennifer Leonard, Eero Koivisto, Kristina Dryza, Brent Richards, Stephen Burks, Mathilda Tham, Ilkka Suppanen, Katarina Graffman + Ida Hult, Kristina Börjesson, Jens Martin Skibsted, Nina Jobs, John-Michael Ekeblad, Björn Jeffery and Thomas Sandell.

The lecture part of Designboost will take place Thursday October 18th at Europaporten conference centre in Malmö, Sweden.