With her latest chair knitted like a super-sized jumper that challenges the perception of scale and tradition, Ljubljana-based, Slovenian designer, Nika Zupanc, flips the familiar and breaks the rules. upending the stereotypical through collaborations with brands like Dutch outlier Moooi. With her first book just out, More Space caught up with the designer to discuss the Knitty chair, the influences of Slovenia's natural beauty and Yugoslavia's modernist architect Saša Machtig, and the liberating power of identity.
From Slovenia with love, breaking the rules with Nika Zupanc
'The idea for Knitty was actually very simple so the catch was playing with scale... It’s a new perspective on something familiar. The 'Alice in Wonderland' effect is of course very Moooi.'
Nika Zupanc
Let’s talk about your first book ‘Breaking the Rules’, has it helped you to understand your design self?
In a way, yes. Before the book I was a little bit afraid to fully express myself because I do have a very different approach to what is expected from designers. I never was a typical designer which sometimes is good, but it can also be a problem. I will never forget I had a big interview for an important design magazine. They were taking the pictures and usually the designer interviewed would also have the cover. I remember we were shooting in the Briana in Venice and the art director was calling to me, ‘Nika, please look like a designer’. In the end I didn’t get the cover. Just by staying true to who I am I was being a rebel and didn’t fit the stereotype. I think you need all the years and the work to speak for you and then you are finally liberated as a woman. It's evident in the book that I am not trying to stay in between, appreciate it, or don’t. Its power is to clarify that and it beautifully grabs the identity of my work.
Do you see your differences as your strength?
I was trying to do was find an empty space in the design profession, because these were really provocations and questions about the way of thinking about design so I never gender assign or use the word feminine in my work. The lacy pink of the Lolita lamp, it was a daring gesture in 2008. We even had a subtitle with Moooi, ‘Who’s Afraid of Pink?’ It was a risk to produce a pink lamp, then in 2016 pink was one of the most popular colours at Milan Design Week. I believe that together we helped liberate pink. Of course the idea was probably inspired by being female, but at the end of the day it is always the work speaking for me.
Can we chat about the Knitty lounge, your new piece for Moooi. I love the way you describe it as having the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ effect.
The idea for Knitty was actually very simple so the catch was playing with scale. By scaling up a traditional knitting pattern and transforming it into a large knot, like the ones used to tie down ships, the chair becomes something entirely different. It’s a new perspective on something familiar. This 'Alice in Wonderland' effect is of course very Moooi. We did a lot of research into the textile and the shape of the ropes. The pattern needed to flow in a consistent way and in the end it had to be woven, so it’s true to concept. As a designer you always want your own philosophy and the philosophy of the company to connect, this is the reason why you can also see my language in the designs for Moooi. Since the Lolita lamp in 2008 and the Golden Chair in 2013, we became friends and it was understood that there is an open door when I have an idea that is Moooi-like.
Not as well known for its design history, how has growing up in Slovenia shaped you as a designer?
I don’t come from a country that has a very strong design image but it is very beautiful and now is the time to speak more about the history of design, architecture and modernism in Yugoslavia which is wonderful and has influenced my work. I am quite proud of that lineage. Modernism was such a beautiful idea of how we could live and it was really strong in Yugoslavia. The MoMA exhibition Toward a Concrete Utopia was a wonderful exhibition about architecture and design across Yugoslavia and including works by my mentor Saša Machtig. His most famous product is the K67 kiosk which is part of the permanent collection at MoMA. It’s so beautiful because of its modularity. I always admire people who have strength and a fighting energy. I also think Moooi and Marcel Wanders are trailblazers in many things, it is a very special company not just because of the designs, because they were always willing to give a platform to young emerging designers who were often from countries that were not design-driven which was another stereotype I had to deal with.
You have said that you are inspired by ‘the grey of everyday life,’ the details we don’t always notice. What are you curious about?
I like to pick up ideas in unusual, forgotten city areas, in suburbia and in places that are a little bit melancholy, the grey of everyday life. I have to say in Milan I really love the inner courtyards which are not forgotten but they are so beautiful.
'I also think Moooi and Marcel Wanders are trailblazers in many things, it is a very special company not just because of the designs, because they were always willing to give a platform to young emerging designers who were often from countries that were not design-driven...'
Nika Zupanc
If we think about designers as some of the big problem solvers, what should they be focusing on?
This is a very important question and design has a very strong voice. You cannot save the world with just one gesture, but what I do in my projects is ask the questions. This question of sustainability is the key one. We are now in this process with all of our manufacturers, but it is really complex. It is not just about using sustainable materials, it is also about the packaging, the transport, the size of the sofa, design that is timeless and lasts, that is not too loud. We need to work on each and every project in this way.
That takes us back to nature, how does it shape you?
I need it on a daily basis. I have direct access in Ljubljana and that is healing. Every day I go to either the woods or we go to the seaside. That is really the beauty of Slovenia, in one direction you go 100 kilometres and you have the alps, and 100 kilometres in the other direction you have the Mediterranean and the Adriatic Sea. I need Slovenia, Croatia and Italia to feel grounded and I am at home in the Adriatic Sea. I like being completely submerged in the forces of nature because you need to be in your present moment and it really clears you mind. We are so lucky to understand the sublime beauty of nature. A sunset is one of the most beautiful things in the world.
Thank you Nika. It was wonderful to chat with you.
Moooi is available exclusively in South-East Asia from Space – Singapore and Kuala Lumpur and Space – Australia.