​©Louis Vuitton Malletier - Karen Hatch

Q&A

Why did you agree to create an Objet Nomade for Louis Vuitton?
We liked the challenge of working on a collection of collapsible objects. Usually the focus is on how to make collapsible objects very small and flat. In this project, we mostly focused on how to make them look large, surprising and with real presence when they are expanded. We like to find a principle and then to try and apply it to different objects. In this case, we started with the armchair, which is the most challenging, then applied the comfort, foldability, strength, and finally, the mechanism to the table and the light shade, and now for the new collection also for the shelves. It was a very joyful process.

During the design process for your Objets, which did you consider first with: form or function?
The products are quite complex in their geometry, so we had to consider both form and function very carefully. But there is more to it than that because we also looked at what the shape expresses, if it reminded us of something else. What comes to mind when we think about people travelling with Louis Vuitton trunks at the end of the 19th century?

What have you called your Objets and why?
The “concertina” collection, as the folding principle was initially based on a concertina mechanism.

​“Louis Vuitton’s foundation is based upon creative ideas and revolutionary solutions.”
​ Yael Mer & Shay Alkalay

Biography

Raw Edges is a collaboration between Yael Mer and Shay Alkalay. Since their graduation show at the Royal College of Art, London, in 2006, they have received a number of international awards including the Wallpaper* Design Award, the British Council Talented Award and the Design Miami/Basel Designer of the Future. Their work is part of a number of museum collections, such as Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Art Institute of Chicago. Alongside their commissioned work, Mer and Alkalay produce limited-edition designs and installations from their London studio.