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| 404 chairs by Stefan Diez for Thonet |
WGSN-homebuildlife spoke to young German designer Stefan Diez about the changing relationship between manufacturer and designer, how he is bringing technology from the automotive industry into his latest chair design - and why tradition is overrated.
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| Chassis by Stefan Diez for Wilkhahn, photo by Robert Fischer |
Much has been said recently about the problematic relationship between the manufacturer and the designer. What are your experiences of this?
"For me, the problem is actually tradition. Tradition is a very strange thing - we consider it as something positive, right? Many people will go to a carpenter who has generations of experience in a certain craft because we have the idea that it is something inherited - that the skills are passed through to the new generation and that it’s in the blood. The manufacturing companies we are dealing with today were originally created by one really strong man or woman who made his or her dream come true, and I don’t think you can inherit this from your parents."
Subscribers can read the full interview here.
