SWISS DESIGNMADE IN JAPANSUMIDA CONTEMPORARYVIU GLASSESWAJIMA SERIES

Project Name: Sumida Contemporary / Creative direction: David Glaettli / Product Type:Brush, Mirror / Designer: Carlo Clopath / Brand: Sumida Contemporary / Manufacturer:
Uno brush / Material: Japanese maple and goat hair / Place of Manufacture: Sumida, Tokyo

Product Name: The Voyager / Product Type: Sunglasses / Designer: Fabrice Aeberhard /VIU / Brand: VIU / Manufacturer: Factory in Sabae / VIU / Material: Titanium / Place ofManufacture: Sabae, Fukui

Product Name: Wajima Bako / Product Type: Case / Designer: Dimitri Baehler / Brand:
Self produced / Manufacturer: Shioyasu Urushi Ware Company / Material: Urushi on 3D
print / Place of Manufacture: Wajima, Ishikawa

Sumida Contemporary is a collaborative platform and a curated label
for contemporary craft products.
The project was begun by David Glaettli in 2017 by invitation of the Sumida City administration. Sumida City
is one of the 23 wards of Tokyo. For
the past 300 years Sumida has beena manufacturing city with a high density of factories and craft businesses in the midst of the metropolis. Sumida produces a breadth of products from soap to lacquerware, glass,leather goods, brushes, and everything in between. The participating designers are currently: Carlo Clopath (CH), Eun Mo Chung (KR), JasperMorrison (UK), Leon Ransmeier (USA), Hironori Inada (JP), Rikako Nagashima (JP), Sori Yanagi (JP), Water Kumano (JP). David Glaettli’s creative
direction of the project includes the definition of the brand concept, exhibition design, selection and briefing of designers, revision of designs andprototypes and the direction of the development of marketing materials.

VIU is an eyewear brand founded by creative director Fabrice Aeberhard, Kilian Wagner and Peter Kaeser in 2013. Since then VIU has been disrupting the eyewear market by combining
outstanding design and fabrication skills withstate-of-the-art technology and fair prices. Today
VIU has over 50 stores in 6 countries. In addition
to standard acetate and customisable 3D-printed
glasses, VIU offers a collection of titanium eyewear. It is produced by a manufacturer in the townof Sakae in the Fukui Prefecture, Japan. Sakae isworld-famous for precision eyewear manufacturing. (The name of the company is a corporate secret). In Sakae, the frames are crafted in more than 200 working steps
from 100% pure, light-weight Titanium. Today, the brand’s model, “Voyager”, is VIU’s best selling product. The experimental prototype “Voyager
Glacier”combines 3D printed parts with the titanium frame, merging newtechnology with traditional craftsmanship.

Wajima is a small town in Japan’s
Ishikawa Prefecture, famous for its
centuries-old urushi lacquerware
production. To develop the “Wajimaseries”, Dimitri Baehler spent one
month working with some of themost skilled craftsmen in Wajima. Itis a collection of cases, vases andtrays that conceptually and tangibly
play with the convergence between tradition and new technology. Traditionally, urushi laquer, made from the sap of the urushi tree, is applied toan object made of wood or paper. In up to 30 working steps this application achieves its famous, smooth, semi-glossy finish. While the most typical colours of finished urushi ware are deep black and vine-red, natural
urushi is actually slightly transparent with a warm brown tone that lightens over time. For this series, Baehler used experimental material suchas 3D-printed nylon and ceramic, and explored traditional and natural
coloured urushi to create objects that straddle tradition and innovation.

CARLO CLOPATH

Trin – Studied at ECAL, the Universityof Art and Design in Lausanne. In 2012,
worked at Cecilie Manz’ Office in Denmark before founding his own studioin the Swiss alps, with a focus onwooden objects.
www.carloclopath.com

MAX BILL

Zurich – Lived 1908–1994. Studied at
the Bauhaus in Dessau. Worked asindustrial designer, architect, artist,
typeface designer and graphic designer. One of the most famous Swiss
designers of the 20th century.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_BillFABRICE EBERHARD / VIU

Zurich – Studied industrial design at
Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK)
before founding his first studio Aekae.
Co-founder of the Swiss bag brandQwstion. Co-founder and creative director at VIU, revolutionary Swissglasses brand. www.shopviu.com

PHILIPPE CUENDET//DIY, Lausanne – ECAL graduate andCo-founder of DIY studio for graphic
design and creative direction. Working
with international brands such as Nikeand Shiseido, often at the junction offashion, graphic- and product design.
www.diy.liDIMITRI BÄHLER

Biel – Studied at ECAL, the Universityof Art and Design in Lausanne.
Self-produces a range of hand madeporcelain objects. Designs for brands
such as HAY, Established&Sons andKarimoku New Standard. Completed aresidency in Wajima and in Arita inJapan in 2019. www.dimitribaehler.ch

DAVID GLAETTLI

Glaettli Design Direction, Tokyo –Studied industrial design in Milan andin Lausanne at ECAL. Specialises increative direction, design consulting,branding, design management. Creative director of Karimoku New Standard, Sumida Contemporary, Tajimi
Custom Tiles. Design director of 2016/Arita. www.davidglaettli.jp

What happens when Swiss product design innovation meets the excellence and tradition ofJapanese craftsmanship? Swiss Design / Madein Japan poses an answer and brings fresh
perspective to Swiss design. This exhibition isabout collaborations between cultures andwhat each has to offer. Items displayed aredesigned by Swiss designers or art directors
working with Japanese manufacturers andcraftsmen. Also exhibited are a selection ofproducts designed in Japan and made in
Switzerland. The pieces embody the values ofboth countries. Both design cultures share aperception of the essential, of quality, functionality and unobtrusiveness. Separately,
Swiss design culture provides a strong rational
aspect, while Japanese design culture materialises ideas that are difficult to verbalise.
Swiss Design / Made in Japan exhibits everyday objects, and explores how meaningful,sustainable product design looks in today’s
globalised world.
Swiss Design / Made in Japan is an initiative of the Embassy of Switzerland in Japanand part of the Embassy’s campaign, “Doorsto Switzerland”, on the road to the Tokyo 2020
Olympic and Paralympic Games.
7 Selected Projects
14 Designers

Sponsors: Karimoku New Standard, On Japan, USM Modular Furniture,NESPRESSO, Victorinox Special thanks to: Presence Switzerland, Vitra,
Thomas Merlo and Partner AG, Lindt, Pioneer DJ Corporation, SakaeStünzi Foundation
Art Direction + Curation: David Glaettli Graphic Design: Sebastian FehrSpace Design: Wataru Kumano Planning: Embassy of Switzerland in Japan

2016/CK “AS IF”

HOLLOW

POLAR CHAIRON TV

Product Name: 2016/ KC (As If) / Product Type: Plates, Bowls Vases / Designer: Kueng
Caputo Brand: 2016/ / Manufacturer: 2016 Corporation/ Kinemon / Material: Porcelain,Sprayed pigment Place of Manufacture: Arita, Saga

Product Name: Hollow (Prototype) / Product Type: Cooking knives / Designer: BIG-GAME /Brand: Japan Creative/ Suwada / Manufacturer: Suwada Blacksmith Works / Material:
Stainless steel / Place of Manufacture: Tsubame-Sanjo, Niigata

Product Name: Polar Chair / Product Type: Stacking Chair / Designer: Moritz Schlatter /Brand: Karimoku New Standard / Manufacturer: Karimoku Furniture Inc. / Material:
Japanese oak / Place of Manufacture: Aichi Prefecture

Product Name: ONTV (Prototype) / Product Type: Television / Designer: Moritz Schlatter /Keiji Ashizawa / Brand: ONTV / Manufacturer: Panasonic / Material: - / Place of Manufacture: Osaka

This design truly pushed Arita’s renowned craftsmanship to its limits. A
range of processes in Arita’s ceramic industry are to this day carried out
by hand, especially those procedures reliant on extreme attention todetail. The standout characteristicsof this series are the geometricforms achieved by slip-casting andthe use of the fukitsuki airbrush, to apply subtle gradations of colour tothe pieces. The sprayed gradations simulate shadow and light to makethe objects appear extremely graphic, almost as if they were were drawn
into the space. 2016/ is a brand of ceramic tableware and accessories
created for the 400th anniversary of porcelain production in Arita. This
landmark project aimed to create an economic turnaround, by revitalisinglocal production and opening up new markets. The brand brings together
the century-old porcelain making expertise of 16 Arita manufacturers withthe talents of 16 international designers. After 2 years of development, the2016/ collections was launched at the Milan Design Week 2016.

Blacksmithing has prospered in theTsubame Sanjo region of the Niigata
Prefecture ever since Japanese nailproduction began there during theEdo period. Today, a variety of industries involved in metal processing
have taken root around blacksmithing. Suwada Blacksmith Works is acompany whose nail clippers are currently enjoying overwhelming popularity worldwide. For this project for theJapan Creative initiative, BIG-GAME proposed Suwada to produce theirfirst-ever kitchen knives. The result of the collaboration is a series of 100%
stainless steel kitchen knives with hollow handles: A Petty (small all-purpose), Nakiri (for vegetables) and Santoku (large all-purpose) knife. Withtheir form, function, and perfect workmanship, the knives reflect the tradition of the Tsubame-Sanjo area. Despite their traditionally Japanese inspired shape, these cooking tools are designed to function perfectly in
any kitchen in the world. The knives were first presented at the Milan
Design Week 2018.

The Polar Chair was developed in 2018 and waspresented at the Milan Design Week 2019. It has
a distinct character with a gentle appearance, defined by the contrast between the soft shapes ofthe seat and the straight-edged legs. Polar chairis made from sustainably sourced oak from
northern Japan. Low-diameter trees, which areoften discarded or used as paper pulp, are usedas part of an initiative to revital­ise the forests andthe local industries. The brand Karimoku New
Standard (KNS) was founded in 2009 by Karimoku
Furniture, Japan’s largest wood furniture manufacturer, and stands for contemporary, functionaland joyful furniture. KNS collaborates with up-and-coming international
designers and brings together their progressive ideas with the Karimoku
craftsmen’s manufacturing excellence. The brand is directed by Tokyo
based Swiss designer David Glaettli.

ONTV is a concept study developedfor Panasonic and was first presented in 2018 as a prototype. The designconcept is that our surrounding objects should integrate harmonicallyinto our lives. In concrete terms, aliving room is more beautiful and inviting if it is not dominated by a TV
screen, with all the furniture oriented
towards it. ONTV aims to have the flexibility of a small piece of furniture.
With its light weight and its built-in handle, ONTV can be carried aroundand placed freely anywhere in a room. The screen can be rotated 90 degrees, allowing the unit to take up less space and be stowed away veryeasily. The screen can also be used in its vertical position, for example todisplay photos or videos in portrait format. The sleek back of the ONTV is
designed to look as good as the front, for middle of the room placement.

KUENG CAPUTO

Studied industrial design at Zurich
University of the Arts (ZHdK). Working
at the convergence between art anddesign. Represented by the renowned
gallery Salon 94 in New York City.
www.kueng-caputo.ch

ATELIER OÏ

Aurel Aebi, Armand Louis, Patrick
Reymond, La Neuveville – Studiofounded in 1991. Active in the fields ofproduct design, interior design, architecture and scenography. Workingwith renowned international clients.
The name oï, derived from the Russian
word “troïka”, a team of three.
www.atelier-oi.ch

BIG-GAME

Elric Petit, Gregoire Jeanmonod, Augustin Scott de Martinville, Lausanne– Founded their studio after graduating from ECAL. Design products fornumerous international brands suchas Karimoku, Magis, HAY, Alessi, Nespresso, Muji and Rado. Teach as professors at ECAL. www.big-game.ch

COLIN SCHAELLI

Zurich – Studied industrial design at
Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK).
Worked at Swiss bag manufacturer
Freitag before becoming independent
as product and interior designer.
Founder of modular furniture concept
con.temporary.

MORITZ SCHLATTER

Zurich – Graduated from Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). Worked inTokyo from 2016-2019. Skilled designer for various products, with a focus
on furniture design.
www.moritzschlatter.com

LORIS GOMBOSO

Zurich – Trained as a cabinet maker
before studying Industrial Design atECAL, University of Art and Design
Lausanne. Workshop with ECAL &Tempo (Mother Tool) in 2018 in Japan.

LUCIEN GUMY

Fribourg – Graduated from ECAL, University of art and design Lausanne.
Works mainly as independent cabinet
maker. www.luciengumy.ch

LUKAS STREIT

Bern – Trained as architectural draughtsman. Graduated from Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). Workshop with
ECAL & Tempo (Mother Tool) in 2018 inJapan. www.lukasstreit.ch