Formex - Glorious mix of old and new

Erkänner att jag brukar gruva mig för att gå på Formex. Jag får helt enkelt pryl-slag och blir övermätt efter en kort stund. Men det hör förstås till jobbet att se Formex. Dessutom finns det självklart mycket som är inspirerande, fantastiskt och gjort med nyskapande kreativitet och kvalitet som förtjänar både att ses och upplevas.  Igår var det dessutom inte alls så överfullt och trångt, utan jag kunde i lugn och ro gå runt och njuta av ett och annat och hann även med några jobbmöten. Glitter och glamour, återbruk och stilmix var några av de teman som lyftes fram. Jan Rundgren fick göra entrétorgets konceptinstallation igen på temat Glorious Mix - och anspelade på jet-set-stilen och mycket scenografi. Lagom mätt den här gången.

Glitter and glamour, mixed and matched were some of the themes brought out during this Formex fair in Stokholm. Old and worn are mixed with shine and jet set styling. Quite a bit of humour also, which is refreshing. Jan Rundgren is the creator behind this year's concept installation in the entrance square under the title Glorious Mix. Young Designers' Lounge told the story of The Glorious Life of the Maharadja, by talented Karin Robling. I walked around and found some new and old favorites, and also had time for some business meetings. Usually I get an overdose of visual impressions while walking around at Formex, but this time it was just right.

 

My absolute favourite at Formex: Wonderland - Lady, Rabbit, Bird - candleholders by young British Designer Stephen Johnson produced by Men at Work in collaboraton with Los Angeles based company Artecnica. Material: 100 % recycled aliminium covered with white lacquer fihish.

10-gruppen still going strong since 1970. Ingela Håkansson one of the founders presented some new patterns and told me of the many requests from a new group of very young consumers

Klässbols, always classic, met up with silver shine 

Tove Adman and her concrete objects have been around for a while, but I was struck by the poetry in her concrete table with the old croché-table cloth molded right into the surface of the table top and it works! Visually and practically.

Young happy brands joined in one stand and filled it with their joy and entrepreneurial spirit: Emmy Little with traditional items from Dalarna in new interpretation, Mrs Murphy, Lovika and ...

Rättvikskullor on a new scarf by Emmy Little

Nittsjö has taken up this 18th century pattern again in their production since a few years,

Progressive work by Frösö handtryck - a small textile hand printing company from the north

 Artists Lisbeth Malm (glas tops) and Björn Gimstedt (iron) makes useful tables and art pieces in one. Would like to come and join our PechaKucha one day to tell us more about their process

Anders Wisth from Möbelriket meets with Teresa Lundgren, succesful owner of Mateus - this time multitalented Synnove Mork has designed her stand at Formex. Anders Wisth had brought an exhibition with young design students from Möbelriket to show their best work at Formex. Anders and I took the opportunity to meet and talk about Milano, Berlin and other target cities for joint Swedish design events.

Jan Rundgrens concept exhibition, mixing old and new, glamour and glitter in Glorious Mix

Usually overwhelmed while stepping into Formex with the overflow of things, but this time it seemed calmer, more open and less crowded. 

Danish Normann renewal of old classics and some news below in cork and also the seemingly old fashioned ceramic bowls for the oven, where you have a practical opening to poor the juice from

Swedish Furniture Parliament "Möbelriksdag" in Lammhult

They did it again! The incredible Johan Sjöberg MD of Möbelriket, and his entusiastic project manager Anders Wisth. They managed to get almost 300 the key people from Swedish Furniture related industry and organisations to head down to Lammhult in the midst of snow land and New Year holidays to discuss the future of Swedish Furniture industry. Clever thinking. No one has had time to fill their calenders at this time of the year, and many of us invited were also speakers, which ensures the presence. The planning has already started for next year, same date January 4th. In all we counted almost 60 speakers on stage, which also meant that Johan Sjöberg, chairmain of the friends of Småland Cheese Cake, had to get just as many cheese cakes ready to hand out to all speakers (which I will bring to share with my colleagues at Svensk Form today). The format was a hectic but kept us all awake, with all speaking between 3-15 minutes, depending on subject. We would have needed to go into more depth with some subjects, such as sustainable and long term production for example, but you can't win them all. I left with an optimistic feeling that we are now all starting to talk about the same needs, a long term and continuous strategy or action plan to strengthen Swedish Design Export. We can do it together! For those of you who were not there, you can follow it on webb TV 

Johan Sjöberg welcomes all of us nearly 300 participants - the aim for next year is 349, like the real parliament. Again, TV sport referee Staffan Lindeborg kept us all on time.

Three governors present of each county in the great landscape Småland: Kristina Alsér, governor Kronobergs län, in the morning Sven Lindgren from Kalmar län, and closing remarks by newly appointed governor of Jönköpingslän Minoo Akhtarzand - a refreshing character

 some of the nearly 60 speakers:

Fathers & mentors to their young adepts and children: Kenneth Ståhl and his youngest son Joel Enhörning building up Byarums with new design management and success  + Sara Larsson A2 Design and her father Bo Larsson on the verge of buying a new company and opening a new factory. Perhaps the most inspiring and promising part of the whole program. Made Here! By the new generation.

Stefan Nilsson in his right element, telling us about impressions and future trends within desing - Made here - not made in Sweden, but made in Lammhult etc and showing good examples of these trends. Thank you Stefan!

Desing, design managemant and longlasting quality was an issue that could have needed some more time to develop. However well presented by Lars Bülow, Materia founder, Johan Lindau from Blå Station and Fredrik Färg individual designer and super communicator

What happened to the project and all the designers' who participated in the Green Design Project? 

Helena Linden of Stockholm Furniture Fair explained how we could develop a new strategy for export of furniture from southernmost Sweden to northern Italy - now we are talking!!

Our best companies are doing well - broke turn-over records last year, such as Swedese and Offect, two companies with international reputation and big international market share (35 % Swedese and 50 % Offecct) Swedese existing since 1845 and Offecct only 25 years - different type of companies, but that have understood to work fully internationally and yet keeping their identity

100 % Design i London vill erbjuda Svenskt Fokus för 2011

Anders Wisth, projektledare för SVID:s nya satsning Design Småland och representant för Möbelriket, Green Design och stort sett allt som handlar om design i klustret Småland, Skåne och Västergötland. Här tillsammans med ledningen för 100 % design, utställningsansvarite Peter Massey och säljaren Mark Cheney med assistent Emma. Vi gjorde snabbvisit i fredags den 8 april för att höra vad de kunde erbjuda oss, eftersom de förklarat sig beredda att göra Sverigefokus. 100 % och London Design festival äger rum 23-27 september i år. Vi konstaterade att det är för snabbt att göra något stort redan i år. Dock en mindre närvaro och en gruppresa kan vi kanske försöka få ihop i samarbete med Sverigefrämjandemyndigheterna i London. Så kan vi satsa större för 2011 om företagen vill. Vi har ju haft diskussioner om design på export med designföretagen som prioriterat Tokyo, Milano, New York och London för gemensamma satsningar. London har vi inte gjort ännu.