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EBONY ISSUE - n° 15 - 2018 - € 10 www.theoney d.com
The Art of Sailing Sanlorenzo SX8
QUART ERLY - P.I. 21/07 /2018 Intern ationa l € 10, Poste Italiane S.p.a. Chf 10,50 , UK £ 7,50 Spedizione in Abbon amento Postale
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MY WONDERFUL WORLD
He has wielded his creative pen prodigiously on everything from architecture to interiors and high tech products. We sat down recently for a in-depth conversation with Karim Rashid, a designer whose work marries a pop culture aesthetic with complexity to create a highly personal, contemporary language
by Marta Bernasconi
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ph. Lupe de la Vallina
A portrait of New York-based and all-round globe trotter, Karim Rashid. Page opposite: Rashid’s Toot pendant light for Kundalini, his Andromeda armchair for Matteograssi, a rug from the 3D collection for Carpet Sign and the Pebble vase for Argenesi
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Clockwise from top: The Ottawa Sofa for Boconcept, a rug from the 3D collection for Carpet Sign, the Aldebaran Seating System and, closing, the Sirio sofa, the last two for Matteograssi
K
arim Rashid likes to experiment with form and makes
the highly particular nature of this project which also, in a
free with colour and materials to glorious effect in his
way, explains his approach to design in general.
signature designs. He is both creatively prolific and a
“It is very difficult to achieve these complex forms with
tireless global commuter, constantly on the move. But then
wood: you need very good craftspeople and advanced
cosmopolitanism is part and parcel of who he is. Egyptian-
technologies. I don’t think there’s a better workforce
born, Rashid was raised in Canada but now lives in New York
anywhere in the world than Italy. I love working in Italy. I
where he has also based his studio. Italy, however, is a regular
have partnerships in over 40 countries across the world. But I
port of call as he dashes around the world. We met him at
have to say that I would like to be doing even work more with
the Design Week in Milan when he presented the strikingly
Italian companies!” That said, Rashid can already list some
sculptural Authentic Living Collection, which he designed
of the great Italian brands as clients: Matteograssi, Tonelli,
for Riva1920 in collaboration with luxury supercar marque,
Bonaldo, Fontana Arte, Artemide and Alessi to list but a few
Lamborghini. Rashid began our conversation by explaining
aside from the abovementioned Riva1920. Internationally, he
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Clockwise: the Maria Klutch Kitchen, the Era Kolor Desk, the Cobra for Martinelli Luce and the Riptide Wishbone system for Tonik. Below, the Egyptian-born designer
has also worked with the likes of Christofle, Vondom, Kenzo and Veuve Clicquot on everything from luxury goods to creating more democratic products. Karim Rashid’s creativity is a fluid thing, continually spreading outwards to embrace areas well beyond the confines of classic design. Art, fashion and music are three favourite areas of investigation. Fluid is also a good description of his work which, in order to transition from drawingboard or computer screen to reality, usually
ph. Oscar Valle
demands a significant level of production, a fact not often not entirely grasped. “The objects I create are the result of very advanced studies and technology. In the
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Clockwise: the Authentic Living Collection desk for Riva1920 in collaboration wtih Lamborghini, the Sirin Labs Solarin smartphone, and the Aperture Mirror and Pulse Table for Tonelli
industrial era, we have become so used to convenience that we are no longer able to see the complexity of things,” he cautions. There is one sector, however, that this renaissance man has yet to explore. “I have never designed a yacht. I haven’t had the opportunity yet, but I would like to very much. I think that the design culture in that sphere has produced the same mistakes as the hotel world. The dominant idea is to transfer domestic living culture to those spaces. But if you do that, you lose the sense of context and I think it’s a kind of regression. When you are in an aircraft, you are not at home. The same thing goes for when you are on a boat. A yacht project for me has to be connected to water and then develop from there.” So although Rashid may not yet have designed a boat, he has clearly given the subject thought and has strong ideas on the rights and wrongs of how to go about it.
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