20 of our top picks and WINNERS from Design Week Mexico's Inédito
Inédito is among Design Week Mexico’s most anticipated exhibits, featuring unpublished Mexican designs that are selected on the basis of innovation and experimentation.
Unlike other events at Design Week, the objects at Inédito are not quite ready for the market. Rather, the exhibit explores the latest in materials, processes, technologies, social impact and user experiences, serving as an ideal platform for emerging designers and studios, or for established firms to showcase their most experimental designs.
This year, designers combined new and traditional materials, reinvented sculptural forms, and diversified the functionality of common objects, establishing trends for what is to come in Mexican furniture design. To follow are some standouts from 2019’s Inédito, and the winners of the Inédito Prize and Honorable Mentions. designweekmexico.com
1. Inédito Prize: La Tlapalería
This year’s Inédito Prize was selected by a jury that included our very own kriteria founder, Julia Kristina Ardila Zurek. The Inédito Prize was awarded to the project that best embodied the following eight categories: innovation, functionality, concept, user experience, materials and processes, aesthetic, social impact, and environmental impact. For this edition of Inédito, La Tlapalería presented ‘Equilibrio’, an interactive collection of playful objects that present various ways of interpreting balance. The objects in Equilibrio seek to create a dialogue with their users, inviting them to play and appreciate their bright colors, resulting in a fun and interactive connection between people and the objects. facebook.com/latlapaleria
2. Honorable Mention in Functionality: Secreto by Perch
This nightstand and console are true to the Perch brand: simple and functional, and assembled by hardworking Mexican woodcrafters. Both pieces feature hidden compartments made for objects of great value, like secret drawers that open with a magnetic device that’s hidden in the wooden flower pot. perch.mx
3. Honorable Mention in concept: Atelier Stōbben
Canadian designer Paul Neudorf of Atelier Stōbben was inspired by his grandparent’s iconic Kroeger clock— made of steel and brass with chains, pendulums and weights— when creating the Manitoba collection, named after a Mennonite colony in Mexico where his father grew up. The Manitoba collection features wall lamps that explore the connection between lighting, mental health and well-being. Circadian lighting has been programmed to tell time as the light changes intensity and color throughout the day, thus limiting the effect artificial light can have on the human circadian rhythm, and encouraging us to realign the body’s internal clock. atelierstobben.com
4. Honorable Mention in User Experience: Caralagara
‘Lama’ is a spatial element that seeks to create spaces for introspection by using recycled materials. Design studio Caralarga in collaboration with Fábrica Hércules reinterpreted the fur of a llama, mounted on an organic ironwork structure covered with discarded old fabrics meant to wrap the user completely, isolating him/her from the outside world. Meant to mimic the belly of an abstract animal, the structure seeks to provide a space for deep introspection, to free the mind and focus on our thoughts and feelings, escaping the avalanche of information that surrounds us each day. caralarga.com.mx
5. Honorable Mention in Materials & Processes: FD Taller de Recinto
‘Al Rojo’ by FD Taller de Recinto was selected in the Materials & Processes category for discovering an innovative way to use tezontle, a reddish volcanic stone used since pre-Hispanic times as a filler material in the foundations and walls of colonial Mexico City. This project seeks to promote stone carving as a respectable trade, and the use of tezontle provides jobs to artisan carvers from the municipality of Chimalhuacan, east of Mexico City. instagram.com/fd_taller_de_recinto
6. Honorable Mention in Aesthetic: Los Patrones
Arcadio by Los Patrones in collaboration with Studio Ricardo Casas was selected for its unique aesthetic look. The collection responds to a niche in the Mexican lighting market that values lighting with a high aesthetic value and at accessible prices. This is made possible by sourcing local materials that diminish carbon footprint and support the national economy. lospatrones.mx
7. Honorable Mention in Social Impact: Taller Maya
Óox is a tribute to the Mayan culture, its textures and artisans. The design pays tribute to jipi japa and stone, materials sourced from the Yucatan peninsula. This trilogy of table lamps mimic the latticework of the Yucatan, generating a dialogue of exaltation that reevaluates the artisanal work and worldview of the Mayan communities. tallerm.myshopify.com
8. Honorable Mention in environmental Impact: Cihuah
The fashion industry is under increasing pressure to find alternative textiles and processes that do not threaten the natural world or use harmful chemicals. In response, French clothing brand based in Mexico City, Cihua, in collaboration with chef Axel Vázquez and the laboratory at Biology Studio, worked together to develop a fermentation process that produces an organic and compostable biomaterial from living organisms such as bacteria, algae, yeasts and fungi. This bacterial cellulose fabric has extraordinary properties like durability, mechanical resistance, and moldability, while also being completely hypoallergenic. Their Bioartex fabric offers an interesting and much-needed alternative to raw materials that deplete natural resources and contaminate the earth. cihuah.com
9. Special Mention: Taller Escape: VMD
‘Vivienda Mínima de Descanso’ (VMD), or Minimum Rest Housing, is a prefabricated housing system that presents a luxurious alternative for living away from the city while minimizing the environmental impact of a traditional construction. In just 99 days, this one-or two-bedroom home made from environmentally responsible materials, is ready in a location of choice and with minimal interference to the landscape. It responds to a need in the Mexican market for those looking to invest in a weekend residence without giving up the time, stress and costs associated with building and maintaining a second home. tallerescape.com/vmd
10. Honorable mention - Cuban Participation: Marias
‘Anagramas’ transforms Cuban pop culture references into a personalized and functional clothing line. The collection offers its user a unique outfit that references art movements while extending the useful life of old accessories.
11. Ceremonia by acoocooro
‘Ceremonia’ by Acoocooro is an exploration of utilitarian objects and their emotional relevance, informed by a traditional Mexican dance known as concheros. While ‘La Atmósfera’ (the atmosphere) is meant to modify its environment by means of pedestal and crystal lights, ‘La Caja de Música’ (the music box) reproduces typical conchera music with the turn of a crank. acoocooro.mx
12. Dancing and Brutus Coffee Tables by Antipop
While the Dancing coffee table is an exploration of the concept of movement, the Brutus coffee table is an exercise in balance, inspired by the stark and geometric shapes used in Brutalist architecture. Both consist of round shapes and curves and are made in steel, and while Brutus is finished with an ultramarine blue texturized paint, the Dancing coffee table is finished in iridescent paint that changes color when perceived from different angles. beantipop.com
13. Sensato Armchair by Dórica
Dórica products are characterized by an attention to detail that honors and respects raw materials and Mexican craftsmanship, while highlighting its inherent beauty. The Sensato Armchair unites basic design elements that respect the nature of the material while presenting an elegant, well-made design. dorica.com.mx
14. Piedra Nube by Euka Estudio
‘Piedra Nube’ (Cloud Stone) is a passive humidifier that uses the natural properties of Cantera (volcanic rock that is mined in various regions of Mexico) to absorb and distribute water along its surface. It is designed with bioclimatic principles in mind, with the objective of improving air quality in closed spaces and providing comfort and health to inhabitants of dry climates. The constant presence of water promotes the growth of moss, which in turn enhances the purification of the space and adds another layer of aesthetic value to it. euka.life
15. Miroir Collection by Escala Estudio
The Miroir Collection was inspired by a search for balance between simplicity, proportions, materials and artisanal techniques. On the left, Noir si a simple and elegant black mirror which is accentuated by a fine brass line holding a natural fiber knot, while on the right, Tissé represents a copper half moon complemented by a beautiful macramé weave. instagram.com/escala_estudio_
16. Éter by Éter Studio
Éter is a synthesis of materials that represent a timeline, starting with stone used in prehistoric times, bronze, which had its peak centuries ago, and stainless steel, which represents current industrial production techniques. eterdiseno.com
17. Mirror Shelf & Sofa by Güemes Studio
The Isometría Collection by Güemes Studio was inspired by a study of objects: objects for resting and objects for creating interaction— based on its forms and its exploration in space. This sofa and mirror-shelf by Güemes Studio seek to generate an emotional interaction with their user. guemesstudio.com
18. Loto by Peca Studio
What started with an exploration using turned wooden rods—became the expressive essence of Peca Studio’s Loto collection. Presenting twin side tables with recycled glass tops to create a transparent surface while still providing a unique see-through effect, and a footstool upholstered in handcrafted lambs-wool, the handmade collection provides a visual harmony inherent in most Peca products. peca.com.mx
19. Yo Jaguar by Platalea Studio
‘Yo Jaguar’ by Platalea Studio is inspired by the ancient Aztec jaguar warriors, members of the army who served as professional soldiers within the special forces. The jaguar warriors belonged to the underprivileged social class, unlike their peers, the eagle warriors, who belonged to the nobility. Yo Jaguar makes a statement about meritocracy, where hierarchical positions are established based on the honest work of each individual. The collection pays tribute to those who fight and work hard to make things better in Mexico. Our favorite is the chair: chubby, tubular in style, symbolizing a place that provides rest and dignity to the masses. plataleastudio.com
20. Uzulu by Taller Lu’um
As in all pieces by Taller Lu’um, the Uzulu Collection was born from an exploration of artisanal techniques that are part of Mexico’s cultural identity. The result is a lamp (not pictured) that conveys the beauty and fragility of an unexplored material— wheat, and a clay and wood side table that plays with its surroundings and transforms over time, thus giving character and life to furniture objects. tallerluum.com.mx
