For the first collection of the ongoing collaboration with Zara, Vincent Van Duysen designed 19 pieces characterized by sleek geometry, pure silhouettes, natural materials, and neutral colours - taking a page from his own love of luxurious simplicity. The collection will focus on the living room and feature chairs, sofas, tables and lighting.
In conceptualizing the tone of this collection, Van Duysen took the opportunity to look back into his personal and professional archives, assessing and taking inspiration from the evolution of his own living rooms. “I wanted to revisit my ‘wardrobe’ of furniture pieces...the collection reflects the way I am living, it’s really me,” says Van Duysen. Being quite the martinet for how things not only look but feel, Van Duysen sourced natural materials such as sandstone, linen, pure cotton and French oak for the pieces in the collection- comfort was key.
While the inspiration for the collection is retrospective with a nod at iconic designs of Alvar Aalto, Luis Barragan and Jean-Michel Frank, it also has a distinctly modernist attitude emblematic of Van Duysen’s designs. The pieces are nothing short of an architectural design lover’s dream.
The concept of doing a collaboration came about by chance, after Marta Ortega, chair of Zara’s parent company Inditex, visited Van Duysen’s home in Antwerp. “I didn’t have to reflect too much for too long,’ notes Van Duysen, ”I turned 60 in April, so it was the right time for me to introspect in my work and who I am, trying to find my DNA. So I looked back and seriously reflected on my past works.” So much so, that Van Duysen pointed out that this particular collection is reminiscent of one of his first homes in the 1980s, an apartment he lived in in Belgium after moving from Milan and where he lives now. The collection is really close to home.
With a career that spans three decades, Vincent Van Duysen is best known for his his distinctive soft-on-the senses aesthetic, which lay in contrast to the excess associated with 80s decor and style when he started. Van Duysen’s collaboration with international retailer Zara will be a first in his career, as his past projects have been on the high-end and luxury markets. “I love the philosophy, the attitude and the positioning of Zara in the world to make beautiful things accessible for any of us. I wanted to see what that would look like for my furniture”, he says.
It is reported that the collection will be available worldwide from the 30th of June 2022.
