This winter in Miami Louis Vuitton presents several new additions to its Objets Nomades story. On view for the first time together this week, and joining others in the design collection focused on the spirit of travel that are within its stores, are new pieces from the Campana Brothers, Marcel Wanders, and Shay Alkalay and Yael Mer of Raw Edges.
Combining the craftsmanship and expertise of Louis Vuitton’s leather ateliers with the colorful vision of today’s best designers in the field, the Objets Nomades have grown from an exploration of innovation in the art of the movement to a broader proposal of a joyful journey—whether literal or conceptual.
Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades Cosmic Table by Raw Edges, photo by Phillipe Lacombe.
New this season is the Merengue Ottoman by the Campanas, mimicking its sweet namesake in tropical colors. The design duo also created the Aguacate, a sunburst of vivid handwoven leather straps to be enjoyed on the wall or suspended from above. Wanders created the Petal Chair, with lush cream cushions that reference nature and Louis Vuitton’s Flower alike. And The Cosmic Table by Raw Edges features a bold, organic base in leather, topped with a uniquely textured glass.
With these debuts, each designer continues an ongoing collaboration with the luxury house. To understand more about their latest piece and the dialogue offered by Objets Nomades, Whitewaller spoke with one half of Raw Edges, Yael Mer.
WHITEWALLER: How did you begin working with Louis Vuitton on Objets Nomades?
YAEL MER: Our first collaboration came more than 10 years ago. We were invited to outside Paris, where the workshop is, and it was a very inspiring visit. You see the craftsmanship; you see the artisans doing and making.
In the beginning it was all about travel and the legacy of how inventive Louis Vuitton was. So we were jumping at this opportunity to do something that was very much about innovation. Today innovation is a lot about technology. Then it was about physical objects. Our very first proposal was a foldable chair. It was so complex and so hard to develop, it took four years to develop. This is something that is quite amazing, to collaborate with a company like Louis Vuitton, to develop something for so long that goes down to the very details. Once we developed this mechanism, we applied it to different things, so we also developed a light and a table.
Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades The Dolls by Raw Edges, photo by Phillipe Lacombe.
WW: Can you tell us about the Dolls chairs you created, which pair with your latest contribution to the collection, the Cosmic Table?
YM: The way we are working, we are playing around with structures and with paper, and as if there is a dialogue between us and the form, we ask, “What are you? What do you want to be?” After the initial conversation, we take it back to computer or sketchbook or prototyping.
The idea behind the table is we have this very expressive base that is covered with leather. It’s very skinny, and on top of it is this very thick glass. And there is this nice tension between the complex and simple, the base of the table. There is this softness of leather, and the shape is so thin you see this kind of outline when the glass sits on top of it. There is something very sharp about the base and clear. And then there is something a little bit more water-like about the glass. If you see it in a distance you see it one way. Just next to it, it twists a little bit what you see.
WW: What keeps you as designers engaged with the Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades collection?
YM: First of all, there are the people themselves. It’s a big brand, but at the end of the day, it’s a group of us and the people we are working with, the experts, and the director. We are constantly in this collaboration and it’s a very immediate connection. We always know if we come up with something nice at the end, we can explore this dimension and we know it will be a nice dialogue. This is the luxury for us.
Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades Merengue by the Campana Brothers, photo by Phillipe Lacombe.
Raw Edges Concertina Chair for Louis Vuitton’s Objets Nomades collection, photo by Philippe Lacombe.
