Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 24 i White Paper by - English

Simone de Beauvoir once said: “Dedicate yourself to people, groups, or causes. Immerse yourself in social, political, intellectual, or artistic work. Seek passions strong enough to keep you from closing in on yourself. Appreciate others and live an active life filled with meaningful projects.” We dedicate ourselves to making a magazine — it’s a cause and a meaningful project. Making a magazine is like a fantasy. But that doesn’t mean it comes without effort: there’s stress, missed deadlines, last-minute cancellations, missing materials. Still, every ounce of worry, every sleepless night, every burst of nervous energy is worth it — because three months later, we get to hold a finished issue in our hands. And that joy is enough to start the next one the very next day. This issue had…

She speaks about glass as one would of a recent love—using words full of emotion, tension, and gratitude: “Glass is strong and fragile by nature, solid and fluid at the same time. This duality moves me deeply. Its relationship with light, its transparency, and the sense of depth it creates resonate with the emotions I seek to express. Working with glass is like making the invisible visible. And the unpredictability of each production process adds both challenge and wonder.” She speaks like someone who has learned a great deal alongside someone else, whose company is sought tirelessly, like that of a great friend, a great love… And the one speaking of glass and working with this fascinating material is Sema Topaloğlu, a Turkish architect and interior designer who lives and…

With just days until Furia premieres, how satisfied are you with the result? Does it look like what you imagined when you were writing it? I really like it; it closely resembles what I set out to do. Though it has plenty of comedic elements, it’s a kaleidoscopic look at modern life and the world we’ve been handed. Through different characters, we observe a reality built on lies, where self-interest trumps emotional connections. The series matches the universe I imagined quite well, and it’s deeply grounded in the performances of the actors, who are in top form. Not just the main five—every episode’s supporting cast is phenomenal. How do you pull that off? Furia reflects on interesting themes like the absurdity of the art world, consumer society, the hyper-capitalism of…

Among the 30 finalist pieces is a sculpture made of delicately dyed and woven bamboo strips, using the traditional Japanese Yotsume-ami technique; a necklace made of interlinked glass beads—1,500 in each link—each requiring a full day of meticulous handwork; a trio of lacquered clocks that, through traditional wood preservation techniques, mourn the cutting of 6,700 century-old trees in Hanoi; achair crafted from over 100 ultra-thin layers of Hanji, a handmade Korean paper derived from the inner bark of the mulberry tree; even a map tracing the trails left by rats in the sugarcane fields of Migori, made from discarded aluminum cans that were shredded and woven, using the same methods traditionally applied to natural fibers like papyrus, raffia, or palm, on a galvanized steel loom. The only entry requirement for…

“The 2025 Bird on a Pearl collection represents the perfect fusion of Tiffany›s rich heritage and our relentless pursuit of creative excellence.” Nathalie Verdeille Schlumberger’s love for nature was evident from the start. It was his most faithful muse. From the brooches he crafted using Meissen porcelain flowers from a Victorian candelabrum he found at the Paris flea market when he started out in the early 1930s in a small workshop on rue La Boétie—pieces that caught the eye of Elsa Schiaparelli and led her to hire him to make buttons for her fashion house—to starfish-shaped earrings, necklaces that captured the lifeline of a flower, sardine-shaped lighters, and the dolphin-shaped brooch Richard Burton gave Elizabeth Taylor for the premiere of The Night of the Iguana (which sold 47 years later for…

But as contemporary as the brilliant Aragonese painter may be, Viveros-Fauné’s specialty is the art of today—and that’s what brought him to the capital. He had been tasked with curating the section devoted to new Latin American contemporary art at the UVNT art fair. Foco LATAM—the name of the initiative—was one of the standout new features of the fair’s 9th edition, held March 6–9 at Matadero Madrid. Participating galleries included Cerquone Gallery (Caracas/Madrid), Enlace (Lima), SGR Galería (Bogotá), Valerie’s Factory (Buenos Aires), NN (La Plata), Isabel Croxatto Galería (Santiago de Chile), Klaus Steinmetz Arte Contemporáneo (San José), Ginsberg + Tzu (Lima), and Marchante Arte Contemporáneo (Mexico City). In this interview, we talk about the UVNT art fair and the momentum of Latin American contemporary art, what makes for good art…

Let’s start by finding the philosophical and design similarities between Polestar and Ecoalf. Are you familiar with each other’s brands? Javier Goyeneche: Of course, I have a Polestar 3. I personally love its design—clean, timeless, detail-oriented… it really aligns with Ecoalf. I also like the brand’s communication a lot. Adrien Palumbo: Eccoalf is a premium retail brand that shares Polestar’s values of sustainability and innovation. Congrats, Javier—it’s not easy to position a brand so well that consumers identify with it. Taste is subjective, of course, but I also love the design. I’m proud to share this interview with you. We need to collaborate more. What was the turning point that made you place sustainability and environmental commitment at the center of your careers? JG: It was always part of Ecolaf’s…

A space must be functional. But a sculpture, too, serves a purpose. “It is there to add color, to create impact,” says Sig Bergamin. The Brazilian interior designer has made maximalism his signature style. This philosophy runs through all 300 pages of his latest book. Eclectic, Sig Bergamin’s third collaboration with Assouline, takes the celebration of the good life to a stage of boundless creative generosity. The São Paulo-based designer is an international icon, moving beyond the borders of his homeland and defying labels and stereotypes. His style—a harmonious blend of Brazil’s warmth, vibrancy, and sensuality with Europe’s visual balance—captivates, persuades, and rewrites the rules. As Bergamin himself puts it: “Unforgivable: bad taste and ostentation. Otherwise, everything can be, everything is worth it, and everything should be done.” This declaration…

Mostly perceived as a Black & White decorative element, Fornasetti is actually quite colourful. The purity of the lines, the materials, the artisan quality of the objects (all made in Italy) put the brand on top of the list of Minimalism, while the richness of the patterns, the cultivated classical references, the audacious mix of subjects and the almost endless development of some motives – the face of Lina Cavalieri being the most flagrant example and now known as “Tema e Variazioni”- lead to a glorified Maximalism. Piero Fornasetti started his company in the 1940’s. His intention was a generous one: to provide daily use objects, enriched with decorative patterns that would bring art in all houses. In the 1930’s he had a printing workshop and produced books with the…

A theater stage, display cases, natural and artificial landscapes, sheep, screens, trees, publications… Of course, there are also furniture pieces and interiors on FormaFantasma’s Instagram, the design studio founded in 2009 by Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin, but they’re not front and center—and certainly not the majority. Just one glance is enough to sense the range of projects FormaFantasma takes on, and the surprising outcomes that result from their holistic, multidisciplinary approach. According to the manifesto on their website, their work weaves together “the ecological, historical, political and social forces shaping the discipline of design today. Whether designing for a client or developing self–initiated projects, the studio applies the same rigorous attention to context, processes and details.” They explore this ethos deeply in the following interview, which is framed by…

He could have been a provocative artist. An iconoclastic inventor. A wild actor. In fact, he wanted to be a painter. David Salle and Julian Schnabel were his role models. Of course. But he chose to be a fashion designer. Although one who is provocative, iconoclastic, and wild. From the first garments he sewed under his label in 1992 to the latest collection he presented in March on the steps of the Palais de Tokyo—a recurring stage for his performative presentations (calling them mere «fashion shows» would not be doing them justice when there’s always fire, massive finales, and/or a smoke machine)—Rick Owens has bent the conventional idea of dressing to the point of questioning the boundaries between fashion and art. The kind of art that is gestural, bizarre, radical,…

June 24, 1911. As the sun set over Paris, designer Paul Poiret flung open the doors of the Pavillon du Butard mansion to host the lavish One Thousand and Two Nights party. The invitation required guests to wear Persian-style attire, and anyone arriving in anything else would either be sent away or made to change into one of the couturier’s designs. At the center of the spectacle was Poiret himself, playing the role of a sultan on a magnificent throne. Dressed in a silk robe and crowned with a turban adorned with a scandalously large gemstone, he gifted each guest a bottle of his new fragrance, Nuit Persane. The scene rightfully belongs in the annals of Fashion History—with capital letters. For many reasons. Not only the obvious ones. Because beyond…

In less than five years, Nigora Tokhtabayeva has made her label, Tabayer, not only a recognizable name on the exclusive counters of some of the world’s most prestigious department stores—from New York’s Bergdorf Goodman to Paris’s Le Bon Marché—but also unmistakable. That elusive quality so sought after in the industry—one that is worth over 3.3 billion euros a year—cannot be taught or learned; it is simply embodied. Innately. Without effort or pretense. The bold aesthetic of her designs with their modern volumes and clean silhouettes—but never minimalist—holds the key to a success deeply rooted in the traditions of fine jewelry and shaped by the influence of modern art. Her universe draws from both Barbara Hepworth and the Mesopotamian pantheon. For her, value lies not just in form, but in meaning.…

Art—or rather, the arts—as the element that breathes soul into architectural projects, and a deep attention to place, are the two pillars running through Steven Holl’s expansive career. Everything else stems from that foundation. Respecting, listening to, and knowing how to interpret the settings in which his buildings are conceived naturally leads to the best decisions in terms of sustainability. In the end, “ecological resilience,” a concept so central to Holl and his team—it even appears as a category on their website just below the firm’s name—is, as he reminds us in this interview, nothing more than common sense. Of course, Holl goes into more detail, describing specific projects and solutions, but it all boils down to this: paying attention to the genius loci and never betraying it—a principle that…

Daniel Proietto had his first true artistic awakening at the age of nine: it was the great ballet master Basil Tupin, a Polish dancer residing in Argentina and once part of the last generation of Les Ballets Russes in Monte Carlo, who stoked the flame of dance in that innately curious and restless boy. “As a child, I was very curious,” says a smiling Proietto from his New York studio, a large room (currently empty, for a change) surrounded by huge vertical mirrors and racks holding the garments he and the rest of his company’s dancers twist their bodies in for hours each day. “I was interested in everything and always wanted to try new things: I did theatre, music, piano, singing (I was a boy soprano), literature and culture…

Suzy Hoodless’s subtropical garden is located in Cornwall, very close to the south coast of the United Kingdom. It features a long border that leads to a wooded area with various species of plants, many deeply rooted in the landscape. Some larger, more vibrant plants come and go with the seasons, adding bursts of colour throughout the year. Recently, the British interior designer created a vibrant rug inspired by the beauty of her favourite plants. “They’ve really become old friends,” she says, reflecting her belief that nature and its scents are essential in creating a home. “Plants give a home a connection to outside and to nature (…) and scent is the final element in that really brings the space together.” ‘Pines of Kernow’, the latest wallcovering she has created…

Douglas, what inspired you to revive the Rispal brand? I have always been passionate about design, and creativity has been a constant in my professional life. Before becoming a designer, I was a painter, for instance. One of the forces that drives my life is my connection to beautiful objects: the grille of a classic car, the silhouette of a motorcycle, the contours of a lamp or an armchair. I’ve always had a particular fondness for creations from the 1950s and ’60s. Naturally, when the opportunity to revive Rispal arose—its golden age being the 1950s—I couldn’t let it pass. It was the perfect chance to use my experience as a designer to awaken this sleeping beauty. I believe we are part of a movement I like to call slow design.…

Gregory, what does Baba Tree mean to you? For me, it’s a dream—a gateway to the finest design, art, and decoration, created and produced under the guiding principles of fair trade and in collaboration with master weavers from Bolgatanga, Ghana. For over 20 years, Baba Tree has preserved the local basket-weaving culture, among other pieces, of the Gurunsi community in this region. Baba Tree is a purpose-driven social enterprise, committed to supporting local communities and fostering social regeneration, where everyone involved is considered a partner in an ongoing global transformation. Our mission is simple: to make the world a better place. We want to meet and exceed the needs of our people, fostering peace and, where possible, generating sustainable incomes. How does Baba Tree embrace the principles of slow design?…

Your work is particularly recognized for the wise balance between tradition and innovation. How do you balance these two sides of the work? I truly believe that as designers, we are not inventing much but rather giving a new reading to our surroundings. Yes, we innovate by the way we address what matters to us, assuming it all comes from our past experiences and cultural background. In that sense, my work is a mix of tradition and innovation as it relates to something we somehow know or re-discover is rephrased with technical or technological capacities anchored in current possibilities. How important are both drawing and hands-on prototyping in your process? Do you have preferences between the two? I really enjoy the drawing part that comes after the first brainstorming phase…

There was never just one version of things—least of all in the case of Agnès Varda herself. Photographer, filmmaker, visual artist, chronicler of a time, a city, and a neighborhood… That was Agnès Varda, and that’s how she portrayed herself in the book Varda by Agnès, titled after her 2019 documentary and published by La Martinière in 2023: “I enjoy going here and there. I enjoy saying one thing and its opposite. I feel less trapped that way, because I do not choose just one version of life.” Any exhibition about her, then, can’t be just one thing either. It must be many. It must leave space for imagination, stir emotions, highlight what usually goes unnoticed, and surprise. It must do all this if it’s to resemble the creator it…

Model: Therese Jan Moore @nextmanagement / Makeup & Hair: Ricardo Calero @Uno Artist for Chanel, Salon 44 and Oribe / Photography Assistant: Pablo Rodríguez / Styling Assistant: Carmen Martínez / Production: WPby…

Model: Laura Franciska @ unomodels / Hair & Make up: Matthew Tuozzoli @ anotherartist / Production: WPby…

How do you measure a 250-year-long legacy? How do you draw inspiration from your past to evolve? How do you maintain your style, your personality, and still stay relevant? How do you combine responsibility and respect with boldness? These are some of the dilemmas Breguet—the oldest watchmaking house in the world—is facing this year as it celebrates two and a half centuries at the forefront of the industry. How do you respond to such a milestone? With calmness, confidence, and class. You respond with elegance and simplicity. With a single blue hand that seems to float over a white enamel dial. A commitment to remain true to their core values: presenting a new masterpiece of horology, the Classique Souscription 2025. And in Paris, of course—the city where, in 1775, Abraham-Louis…

“Well, the truth is that I wanted to be a dancer. I danced a lot from a very young age. I always wonder how my life would have been if I had decided to focus my efforts in that direction.” We’re in Tetuán, Madrid, in full spring; a melting pot neighborhood with low houses and tangled streets. Almost in the shadow of the four towers rising, dark and looming, on the horizon. The headquarters of Ideo Arquitectura stands out with its orange walls among the neighborhood buildings. “One of the first times I came into contact with architecture,” Virginia says, “were the working models made by my father, who was a real estate developer. You could open them up layer by layer and discover where the pool would go, the…

She comes from the art world at large, and from a family with a very specific passion: porcelain. She is Mariana A. Teixeira de Carvalho, the granddaughter of Renato de Albuquerque, an engineer and Co-founder of one of Brazil’s major construction companies. His professional path brought him to Portugal, and his artistic curiosity led him to the East. Said inclination took shape in a collection built over six decades, eventually forming a magnificent ensemble of 2,600 pieces of Chinese porcelain—treasures that have, in some cases, been requested and loaned to institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York or the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, among others. At a certain point, the stewards of this unique, valuable, and extensive collection felt the need—and, in some way,…

Architecture—the one field of human knowledge sitting at the heart of the vital dialogue between environmental care, social wellbeing, and shared spaces. It’s a discipline that brings together professionals, institutions, and even businesses to pioneer innovative solutions—conceptually and practically—that open new pathways. These projects draw from local traditions, adapt to their surroundings, and aim to create sustainable and inspiring spaces in the broadest sense. Materials, technologies, approaches, and experimentation converge in the work of Pritzker Prize laureates like Wang Shu, Francis Kéré, or Lacaton & Vassal. A similar spirit drives the Mexican workshop Arquitectos Artesanos, whose main aspiration is to “create architecture born from the place, the people, the traditions, the wisdom of elders, local materials, the knowledge of new generations, and technology.” Laila Cordero, the coordinator at Arquitectos Artesanos,…

Contain was born from the desire to create a design studio that focused on lighting, emphasising not only mindfulness, style, and the beauty of the final product but also the concept, collaboration, and even the process itself. Each of their pieces reflects the dialogue between the hands at work, the craftsmanship, the concept and the mind, the material and the place. “What excites us most,” shares Juan, one of the founders and creative director, “is shaping elements that transcend functionality, turning light into a medium for evoking emotions and enhancing the essence of spaces.” They embarked on this project to unite their passion for design, their understanding of local culture, and the possibilities that technology offers to take lighting to another level. “For us, Contain is an opportunity to tell…

What does DAM mean to you? DAM is the expression of our shared passion for design, craftsmanship, and storytelling, all connected to the place we live. We strive to create products that not only stand the test of time but also tell a story through their design, materials, and functionality. For us, DAM bridges the past and the future, combining traditional craftsmanship with innovative design to create something truly unique. Our greatest joy comes from bringing our ideas to life, from the initial concept to the finished product. We love collaborating with artisans, designers, creatives, and clients to create pieces that truly make a difference in the spaces they inhabit. Each project challenges us to innovate in different aspects of our work while staying committed to sustainability and quality. As…