Summarize and humanize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in EnglishTwo aesthetics, shared craftsmanship, aligned values: what happens when two nations come together to develop a hybrid design language? A space opens for cultural exchange – one that transforms not only the process but also the way we interpret and experience objects. This is the foundation of the collaboration between Karimoku New Standard (KNS) and Presence Switzerland, developed within the ECAL Master in Product Design, and presented during Milano Design Week 2025 in the context of House of Switzerland.The partnership brings together the excellence of Japanese manufacturing and the experimental energy of one of Europe’s most influential design schools. KNS, founded in 2009 by furniture giant Karimoku, stands at the intersection of innovation and tradition. It unites the technical expertise of local artisans with the fresh outlook of international designers to set new benchmarks in Japanese furniture. Central to its identity is a commitment to sustainable production: KNS works with low-diameter hardwoods from northern Japan – materials often discarded or reduced to pulp – which are reinterpreted through a combination of traditional craftsmanship and advanced technology.As part of the wider Karimoku Group, KNS draws on a legacy that began in 1940, when Shohei Kato turned a small timber business into a woodworking workshop. By the 1960s, Karimoku had developed its own furniture line, bringing together industrial innovation and artisanal quality. ECAL, on the other hand, is one of the most interesting schools in Europe, capable of blending design innovation, cultural-driven creativity and a lot of future perspective. Known for its rigorous approach and international reach, the Lausanne-based school has established itself as a key player in shaping contemporary design culture. Its alumni network, media visibility, and global partnerships speak of a place where critical thinking and creativity constantly intersect. Invited by KNS to develop a proposal for the World Exhibition in Osaka, the ECAL students responded with a series of reimagined chair archetypes – each blending cultural references through materials, forms, and construction logic. The design outcomes are striking in their balance: minimalist yet expressive, functional yet full of nuance. Every piece reveals a quiet intelligence, where detail and proportion guide the overall experience.Each chair’s unique narrative displays how the heritage of both nations is aligned with values of craftsmanship and innovation. The exhibition layout reflects this hybrid vision. A circular platform at the centre of the space – elevated and divided into four sections – subtly echoes the geometries and shared color palette of the Japanese and Swiss flags. This spatial gesture creates rhythm and invites viewers to navigate the pieces from multiple perspectives.The chairs themselves are stackable, lightweight, and precise – visually simple, yet structurally complex. Among the projects developed for the Osaka Expo, one piece stands out as a tangible icon of this collaboration: the HUG Chair. Designed by ECAL Master students Min Xiyao and Jacob Kouthoofd Mårtensson, the chair embodies the essence of Swiss-Japanese dialogue. Composed of three distinct curves, its warm, enveloping silhouette strikes a balance between geometric precision and comfort – an elegant distillation of both schools’ design philosophies.The HUG Chair is not only functional – with a front-facing stacking system that responds to the dynamic needs of the Swiss Pavilion – but also symbolic. It reflects the fusion of young, conceptual thinking with the meticulous execution of one of Japan’s finest manufacturers. Sixty units of the chair will furnish the Swiss Pavilion during Expo 2025 in Osaka, welcoming visitors from around the world in a gesture that is both practical and emblematic. A special edition of this chair, in red and white, a nod to the national colors of both countries, was unveiled in Milan. More than just an academic exercise, the project reveals what happens when industry meets education, when heritage meets experimentation. It gives shape to a third identity: not a compromise, but a synthesis – an evolving, dynamic dialogue between two cultures, capable of shifting our perspective and inviting us to see design with curiosity and as a way to share and evolve culturally.
Keep Reading
