December 3, 2020

Text: Quinn Halman

Vitra and Virgil Abloh Unveil Limited Edition Collection

The three-piece collection features a wall lamp, chair, and ceramic brick. Photography by Shelby Cooper.

Swiss furniture company Vitra and Virgil Abloh, lauded fashion and industrial designer, revealed their latest “Virgil Abloh c/o Vitra” capsule collection via online marketplace Basic.Space today. Powered by Cash App, Abloh’s London-based studio Alaska Alaska created a pop-up installation to display “Virgil Abloh c/o Vitra: US Edition” in Miami’s Design District, open to the public through Dec. 7. “This collaboration invites the new generation into the conversation,” Abloh shares with Interior Design, “my work is meant to open doors for them.”

The 999 glazed and labeled ceramic bricks take on a life of their own as individual storage objects. Photography courtesy of Vitra.

Exploring the pressing need to make the design industry more inclusive and accessible, Abloh and Vitra created intriguing yet approachable figures, equal parts functional and whimsical. On working with Abloh, Vitra CEO Nora Fehlbaum notes that he “structures knowledge and passes it on to a new generation in such a condensed manner.” The armchair, wall lamp, and ceramic brick comprising the collection are inspired by classic forms yet feature playful materials and hues—a baby blue lacquer transforms the figures into contemporary furnishings that also double as art.

Inspired by the legendary French architect Jean Prouvé’s Petite Potence Wall lamps, Abloh adds an LED bulb in an oblong cage, accentuating the industrial DNA of the original design. Photography courtesy of Vitra.
The Antony Armchair, which also draws on Prouvé’s designs, was initially commissioned for French universities in the 1950s. Abloh’s frosted plexiglass shell brings the chair into the 21st century.  Photography courtesy of Vitra.

Recent DesignWire