Salone Satellite 2020: Our Picks for Best Design - In & Out (:eventually!) of Our House.

In photo bellow: Touro armchair by André Teoman. Inspired by the animal that it’s an iberian simbol, Touro (Bull), is an armchair (also in photo bellow), with a strong silhouette that plays with parts and pieces in a single object. Comfort and attitude combined in this armchair with solid oak legs, brass “eyes” and it’s available in several textile options.

In the post Covid-19 era young designers who established a brand name by exhibiting their works in the Salone Satellite and they continued to flourish after their international exposure inside the event, are up against new challenges regarding their overall businesses. The ongoing adaptive force to new, ever-changing environments is a designer's badge of honour - nevertheless the day after the pandemic imposes not only different strategies in communication/networking, logistics and resources but most importantly a new approach to trends and concepts. Priorities seem to change dramatically and so they do perceptions driven by entirely different aesthetics: the system of values is changing for good, alongside with people's practical and emotional needs.

In the reminder bellow we illustrate a small caption of favourites from a rich, long list of designers, passed through the Salone Satellite gates. The specific makers did not only get distinctions and world-wide recognition as young talents, but they continue ceaselessly to keep up with projects, exporing new design scenarios for their clients and their own production lines. Great, solid, responsible, innovative, imaginative and emotionally intelligent products that trigger your endorphins and get you (even more!) home-ready for a new era and hopefully a new vision.

GWILEN transforms marine sediments into materials for design and architecture (a full range of colours shown bellow) - those can also be combined with other materials for  furniture production/ manufacturing. Gwilen has been selected to participate in the TALENTE 2020 fair, which was to take place in Munich (Munich, Germany), but has canceled like many other events in the year. The TALENTE competition focuses on works that stand out for their formal and technical originality/ perfection and which are ahead of their time.

A linear pattern was designed on the surface of Wiretable by Federico Pazienza (photo bellow by Paolo Diani), then it was warped using an algorithm to create a modern decoration.

"I love creating objects that feel good in your hand. My aim is to create design with character and allow people to feel connection with them. I want to awake feelings trough playfulness, and a sense of fun. These are recurring theme in my work", says Tero Kuitunen. Bellow tassel ceramic lamp (prototype), 2010, (photo by Iina Esko).

Giant Pouf seat by Leila Boukhalfa for the Softies performance set design:

In another way, STAIR LAMP by Pistacchi design can be the best interpretation to the theme of the ever-exploring theme of Cinderella by the design director and founder of the brand Mike He (Ren Wei He).
The design and switch of light sources not only provide a vivid visual, but also take into consideration practical function. There is downward lighting when the lamp is installed in the dining room.

Enjoy the iconic textiles of Aya Kawabata - more of Aya's world of creative designs here.

Brilliant bathroom interiors for home - hospitality design from Turkish über-talent Pinar Irmak Çağlar - of CDW studio in photo bellow: 

Check out prominent design figures Ekaterina Lubimova' Gobi table (in photo bellow) and Salone Satellite Moscow winner Natalie Musorina' Infinity baby cradle. Pure Russian Avant-Garde in 2020. 

In photos bellow, from top to bottom: the kaleidoscope-like chandeliers by Sunbeam Jackie, Tink Things' sensory kids furniture and the wide-ranging furniture pieces by Kusheda Mensah (x2) for her own line Modular by Mensah. 

The Mighty World of an multi-dsiciplinary designer: Olivia Lee came up with the Athena Collection, an ode to the Contemporary Woman, a figure of intellect, fierce independence and discerning standards. 

The collection references the ancient Greek goddess of knowledge and strategy, mistress of philosophy and craft, and patron of heroes. In our Age of Information, Athena is by extension a goddess of technology.

What would Athena make of the world we live in today, our adoration of new media or fetish with the Internet of Things? What new rituals and habits would she sanction?

Resisting the urge to turn all objects into devices, this collection is a smart home concept that prioritises materiality and reimagines analog objects for digital habits through simple twists.  

May the Force of Hope be with you!

Stay safe - Stay Happy😇😍

A4D-D4A 💙💚

Idillia(&)Co*: A selection of key-Salone products to Turn your home into a Happy Household (in the Low Immunity Pandemonium of Digital Age).

In photo above taken by Andrea Garuti, the project is curated by Studio FM, with the collaboration of Studio Salaris for the styling, courtesy of Pedrali.
Designed by the firm Rebelo de Andrade, the story of Casa 3000 unfolds in a truly suggestive location.With its striking shape and colour, the building soars within a wild landscape of cork oaks and umbrella pines stretching as far as the eye can see in the Portuguese region of Alentejo. The archetypical shape of the house is characterizedby clean, simple lines and a bright red colour. The result is a dreamlike atmosphere that evokesthe romantic image of a red house at the edge of the woods.
The photo features the Tribeca collection, designed by CMP Design,a modern reinterpretation of classic Sixties patio chairs made from steel and woven material. The wireless outdoor lamp by Basaglia Rota Nodari, Giravolta completes the setting. (#PEDRALITALES, the new 2020 advertising campaign is on air from March).

The selection of 2019-2020 interior and exterior products powered by A4D-D4A, created by some of the Salone Del Mobile most iconic exhibiting companies, is rendering not only the idea and feeling of Happiness*, but it is a pleasuring moment of real contemplation regarding interiors and furniture. The following objects of desire in our list, are not just promoters of the much-criticized, yet acclaimed "luxury regime", but they are extremely significant for fusion applications and digital, smart technologies of all kinds.  
The patterns, the design core, the sequences, the functions, the shapes and the manufacturing of these products can generate neighbouring or supportive digital applications, not only to sustain those very interior solutions, but also creating mobile, intelligent technology design for other uses. In times like these, the synergies of interiors creating companies with high-end agencies for the making of smart apps, IoT and AR/AI is almost a one-way solution, in order to get back in commercial prosperity after an heavy financial stroke. If Kartell is now designing smart technology electrical cars with Fiat, Missoni can team app with therapeutic pattern-Meditation app engineers, ENEA and Plank can dive Into making innovative wheelchairs for individual mobility, Vibia and BD Barcelona could most probably go towards smart electrical panels and the gaming industry...Sky is the Limit. As long as there is a Will and the entrepreneurial perception of a Changing Era, this time for good.

Let's start the Prom- enjoy the series bellow and set your mind to the Salone Mood....

Kartell: Trama Jar (rose), design by Patricia Urquiola

The Trama tableware collection is a complete dinner set inspired by Japanese pottery with its characteristic and highly refined textures in natural earthy colours and matt finishes. Similar to the pottery associated with country homes, the plates have a rough feel and are further defined by a graphic stroke that elegantly underlines the essentiality of the collection.

Vitra: accessories collection Spring-Summer 2020: Eams House Whale

A prominent feature of the Eames Office was a wooden whale measuring over two metres in length. Its smaller reproduction, the hand-painted Eames House Whale by Vitra, is crafted from alder wood.

ALotOfBrazil: K2 SOFA, design by Alessandro Mendini

The K2 Sofa idealized and designed for A Lot Of Brasil, derives from a new interpretation and rereading of the 1979 Kandissi sofa. The measures have undergone changes, as well as some shapes and proportions. It was designed for series production, different and unpublished.

BD Barcelona, EL POETA BENCH by Alfredo Haberli & Grasso Stool by Stephen Burks

Alfredo Haberli is a great admirer of designs by Oscar Tusquets and Lluis Clotet. As a tribute to the Catalano and Perforano Benches, he designed the Suizos Benches Collection in perforated painted steel. Out of all the benches, The Poet Bench has become our bestseller.

“Grasso is not fat. Grasso is more than fat. It’s overflowing.” This is how Stephen Burks sums up his new collection for BD. The stool perfectly complements the armchair and is made in the same structure and upholstery colors. It stands out due to its oozing cushion embedded within the metallic structure.

CITCO Jewels 4 Walls: Solitaire

SANS SOUCI: The Ritz-Carlton Pune India Project

Sans Souci is a Czech designer and producer of tailor-made design light fixtures and decorative lighting fixtures, glass objects and architecture features.

String 

String® System is a series of components featuring the classic wire and plex panels designed by Nisse and Kajsa Strinning. A range of accessories are also designed for the String® System in order to make the most out of your space. They add functionality and creativity to you String® combination. The plex panels are available in wall panels, whereas the wire panels are available in both wall and floor panels. They all come in a variation of measurements, colours and materials. Click on desired product below and you will see all the specifics.

Artemide: Calipso, design by Neil Poulton

Calipso’s unique honeycomb surface was generated by feeding a photo of the moon into an image-based algorithm. 

The resulting fractal shape has an impure geometry that displays the irregular beauty of nature. The diffuser is built from an organic honeycomb-like shape with tubes of varying diameters, seemingly arranged in a random geometry. This honeycomb characterizes the lamp both aesthetically and optically - not only is it visually pleasing, but it also provides an even and comfortable light emission.  The result is a highly emotional lighting object that joins together optical and aesthetic intelligence.  

A product positioned perfectly half-way between home and professional use, Calipso is suited to a variety of applications. Driver is compatible to both 2-wire dimming and 0-10V dimming options.

Atelier Vierkant

Renee Van Leuven, student at Saint Luc Arts School in Ghent, stars in a handmade ceramic tub designed by Studio Loho, at a villa in Sint Martens Latem. Since she was a kid, Renee has been fiddling at the kitchen table with all kinds of materials. Today, working on different projects within her studies, she enjoys the space of intellectual and creative freedom. More than focusing on the end result, I do experience a lot of satisfaction and pleasure by just experimenting and exploring different esthetical as well as conceptual options. Full AV 2020 catalog here.

Bitossi Home: Vase by GENTUCCA BINI & tableware by CTRLZAK

Nani Marquina: OAXACA outdoor rug designed by Nani Marquina

Karimoku New Standard:  COLOUR WOOD SIDECHAIR  designed by SCHOLTEN & BAIJINGS

Seven years after the Colour Wood tables, that have become icons within the Karimoku New Standard collection, we introduce the Colour Wood Chair. While adapting the same basic concept, using sustainably sourced low diameter thinning wood, it is challenging Karimoku’s carpentry skills in a new way: small laths of oak wood are assembled to a shell without any apparent fixture to form a seat that appears like a graphical composition, oscillating between simplicity and complexity. The Colour Wood Chair is made to complement our Colour Wood Dining table and to suit home and contract use. The seat is upholstered with a Kvadrat fabric, designed by Herzog & de Meuron and built to offer outstanding seating comfort.

Plank: MYTO chair by Konstantin Grcic

Cantilever chair entirely made of plastic in black, white, traffic red, pure orange, yellow green, light blue. Stackable, for in and outdoor.

MAGIS: Vigna outdoor table by Martino Gamper 

MOROSO: Heartbreaker Sofa 2019 designed by Johannes Torpe, (What a masterpiece!). 

Enea: apart from being one of the best companies internationally on seat design-it is A great one too: since 26/3 Enea manufactures protective screens in its premises for the health care workers by using 3-D printing technology. 

Smeg: Blast Chiller

Blast chillers new technology:Smeg’s new blast chiller for households helps with your day-to-day kitchen management, saving you time and minimising wastage while still allowing you to eat food of the highest quality. The product represents a sensitivity to consumption and food quality, combined with the technological approach which Smeg has adopted as its vision and is the added value to the company’s product range.
A precious tool in the professional kitchen which is now ready to enter the houses of those who are looking for healthier, higher-quality food, with significant time savings – for example for weekly meal planning – and with greater creative possibilities to create professional-quality meals.
It is a multifunctional and versatile domestic appliance, with an elegant design which integrates perfectly with all other Smeg products in the range.

Manage laundry right from your smartphone with optional smart washer and dryer features in the Whirlpool® app.2.

Schedule your washer so your clothes are ready for the dryer when you are. Use the Whirlpool® app to tell the washer when you'll be home by so it starts and ends the cycle on your schedule.2.

Glas Italia: Boxinbox by Philippe Starck

A series of low tables and closed and open storage furniture, designed like a box within a box, in laminated 5+5 mm. thermo-welded extralight glass. These are placed on a base of reflective polished stainless steel. A space within the transparent extralight glass unit glued at 45° allows a second element with storage function available in transparent coloured glass in the following colours: viola 98, arancio 101, verde 103, grigio caldo 116 and giallo sole 115. In the collection there is also a low storage table with six shelves in laminated 5+5 mm. glass in the same above-described colouring and a low display case in very clear grey 3 + 3 mm laminated glass. Also these ones are thermo-welded and have a base in reflective polished stainless steel. The collection is complemented by functional objects storage cases, available in two versions: hand-caned with vegetal fiber or in Zebrano wood with dovetail joints.

Brühl: Armand chair, design by Kati Meyer-Brühl

Etro: Parrot Lamp, (Ceramic Parrot lamp base)

Marset: Dipping Light by Jordi Canudas , introduced in 2018

Beyond its function as a lamp, the Dipping Light seeks to excite. When it’s turned on, its different shades of paint sift the light, creating a magical ambient effect. When it’s off, its colored glass sphere is an object charged with beauty, and eye-catching design piece for a shelf, bedside, or table.

The history of the Dipping Light has only just begun. Marset wasn’t willing to settle for just the two table lamp sizes it has come in so far. Its most poetic light expands its uses and is now offered as a portable lamp, suspension lamp, wall lamp and a new table lamp size –o20 cm– to bridge the gap between the small and large sizes. The colors are the same, with an expanded model line-up. There is also a choice of finish for the stem between brushed brass and graphite.

Vibia: Break outdoor light designed by Xuclà & Alemany

Nordgröna: Saga noise insulation

In an architectural style known as stave, Scandinavians once created buildings which looked like straight out of fairy tales. We combined the classic style with modern function, and named it ”Saga” - Swedish for fairy tale.

Saga is offered as a collection of click-connecting shapes & shades of solid cork offering new possibilities for creative interior design.

STAY SAFE, STAY HAPPY, STAY HOME AND STAY OUT RESPONSIBLY

A4D-D4A 💙💚🙏

DESIGN POSITIVITY: CHIE MIHARA STEPS IN A4D-D4A:-))

In photo above: Chie Mihara lights up your day between VRENI BLUE and QUIRITA ORANGE incredible sandals, (for many more ideas, styles and features, enjoy visiting the dreamy Chie Mihara official website and shop). 

In the middle of a global crisis which seems largely affecting our lives and everyday routines, we decide to bring to you at home as much meaningful content as possible-regarding design, designers and related fields. We are all in this together, we want to communicate to you exciting news from key people in the design industry and spread the message to all of you who are profoundly interested in design, crafts, technology, innovation and society. 

Shoe and accessories designer Chie Mihara’s work has being highly appraised by the press and the audience over the last decade, and not in vain. Her unique vision and insatiable creativity in a design field that masters and combines high end traditional craftsmanship, pioneering technologies and impressive design flair- established Chie Mihara as a distinctive representative of 21st century shoe design and probably one of the most important female designers of her generation. 

In her biographical note, Chie Mihara was born and raised in Brazil to Japanese parents. She traces her interest in art back to childhood and the character sketches she did, inspired by Japanese manga magazines her father brought home to her.  As a teen her focus shifted to fashion, coinciding with a wave of Japanese designers, such as Yohji Yamamoto and Issey Miyake, making an impact on the world fashion scene. At her father’s insistence, Chie moved to Japan to study fashion, later getting her first job with well-known designer Junko Koshino. Wanting to broaden her artistic development, Chie moved to New York, where she studied fashion and sculpture. Combining the two disciplines, she started designing women’s shoes with prestigious shoe designers in the US and France. Always believing she had a personal story to tell as an artist, she eventually struck out on her own, moving to the land known for producing some of the highest quality shoes in the world—Spain. There she fashioned high-quality shoes with a fun, funky and fresh aesthetic and grew her company into one of the world’s most recognized brands in women’s footwear. 

Bellow: Smells like Spring Spirit… the beautiful TALIVO CURRY sandal. 

We encountered Chie in this short interview bellow where we tend to reveal some key aspects of Chie’s design (His)Story and talent: 

All4design-Design4all:  Brazil and Japan remain two capital forces in design the last decades, both routed in your heritage. How these two schools-legacies influenced your work until now? 

Chie Mihara: I would say that I have the happy, light and feminine side of Brazil. The attention  to details and uniqueness from Japan. 

A4D-D4A: Eco-consciousness and Sustainability, the two notions that relate to every designer's/maker's/creative's business nowadays. Do you feel concerned as a brand, do you feel you need to adjust accordingly your supply chain, your resources and eventually your creative process? 

C.M.: It’s not my focus, we in the factory already use recycled materials for insoles, but then it is compacted with glues...Shoes need to be durable and strong. I don’t believe in a true eco shoe, because it has all types of elements like glues and plastics that can not be all eco. Neither are the synthetics eco. For clothing it's much easier, but on shoes it is not. Some brands use eco leather, I don’t know what they mean by eco leather, it's not leather at all, it's plastic! 

A4D-D4A:  Devices, apps, smart technologies and AI: accessories' designers start to apply them directly to the final product, a fact we acknowledged on the runway and on the shelves when it comes to shoes and bags especially. Are you excited about new, digital technologies as a designer and craftswoman?  

C.M.: Yeah! Sure! I use apps to easily play around and experiment with shapes and colors. It’s really useful to get ideas. But in the end, pencil and paper are what I use to express my ideas, as I don't need to make any presentation to anyone. 

A4D-D4A: What have you discovered lately that got you really enthusiastic about?( a maker, a building, an object, an exhibition, an app, a garment et al.) 

C.M.: Photography! I always liked it, but since I acquired i-phones, I stopped using my reflex camera (wasn’t even digital!). But now I’m very interested to go back and buy a very good reflex camera and start shooting again!  

A4D-D4A: What is your single piece of advice to a young talent who is starting up as a shoe/accessory designer? 

C.M.: First, be very honest and ask yourself the question: do I have a story to tell? It's not about a seasonal inspiration, but your personal story to tell others. Because that will define what your brand is about. Design is communication. It has to communicate with others. You've got to be very passionate about what you do, not just “I'm a shoe addict!” Because you are not making  shoes for yourself. Lastly, start with someone that can help you, either an associate or a collaborator to do the business side, so you can focus on design, fitting and promotional image. 

We thank and salute Chie for her bright intervention, one of many more planned out in our blog the following months. Stay tuned!  

For Chie Mihara FCBK Official page please click here. 

Chie Mihara Instagram account is here.

If you are interested to find out more of Chie’s inspiring design journey and ventures, please check this ever so interesting episode on Chie in Scientology network: MEET A SCIENTOLOGIST-STEPS OUT IN STYLE WITH CHIE MIHARA. It broadcasts in the US on DIRECTV Channel 320 and can be streamed at scientology.tv in 17 languages.

Stay safe - We Will be Back🙌

  

A4D-D4A 

SALONE DEL MOBILE 2020: THE YEAR OF LIVING DIFFERENTLY (EDITED).

In photo above: a Moroso point of view "El Nouveau Rustic: Country-style Folklore, Robinsonian Urbanism and Under-Decor....", check more in (one of) our Salone 2019 dedicated post(s).

Salone del Mobile.Milano 2020: designing Beauty. The 59th edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano is cancelled to next year 2021, (5-10/9/2021) at Fiera Milano, Rho - due to the Covid-19 pandemic, costing Italy thousands of human lives. Neverthless the excitement for the series of manifestations and events provided by the institution, in and out of the Fiera grounds, remains unaltered despite the current tragedy and it is increasing the adrenaline to the maximum. The Salone stays at the top of the game, despite the circumstances, and slays the global design scene with a unique demonstration of credibility and perseverance, pushing the exhibitors coming from Italy or abroad, to showcase their absolute best. 

"Inventing different kinds of design every year, experimenting with all sorts of harmony of form, shaping the “right” material and achieving a high degree of sustainability are all a quest for Beauty, the word that marks its debut appearance in the Manifesto this year. Beauty, is what the companies and designers taking part in the Salone del Mobile do with honesty, commitment and transparency, keen to make it a real driver of change.

Along with the focus on sustainability, the spotlight will again be on the centrality of Milan, an international city capable of attracting investors and investments from all over the world, and a city that is loved by young people because, besides the art and architecture of the past, the new is tangible."

Claudio Luti, President Salone del Mobile, had this to say: “This edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano will testify to the furniture companies’ ethical and virtuous strategies. What we need now is an ethical approach to design that can bolster the search for solutions that are as sustainable as possible in a global context, and an increasing focus on the demands of the upcoming generations, who are more interested than ever in the intrinsic value of what they purchase for their domestic and work environments."

“The Salone has now become a veritable “institution” and, as such, is the harbinger of a future in which development, innovation and sustainability will work together – promoting Beauty in its widest sense, in a word. I have to say that many businesses within the sector have already embarked upon the path of circular economy, and the figures are there to show for it: 72% have invested in the reuse of recyclable materials, 44% use recycled products, 67% are committed to correct end of life disposal procedures, 49% are into energy saving and 37% to the use of renewable energies" said Emanuele Orsini, President of Federlegno Arredo Eventi calling on politicians and the institutions to support the companies through a changeover.

Check a preview of their speeches at the Salone 2020 Press Conference on February 2020 here.

Following its debut and resounding success in 2019, S.Project, the exhibition devoted to design products and decorative and technical interior design projects, will be hopefully back; "its buzzwords are vision, evolution and technology, as well as crosscutting and multisectoral. An original perspective and a fluid, crosscutting exhibitive format, reflecting the new market and societal demands." 

The year’s SaloneSatellite theme scheduled to be DESIGNING FOR OUR FUTURE SELVES / PROGETTARE PER I NOSTRI DOMANI - will invite eventually reflection on inclusive design that promotes autonomy, comfort, movement, user-friendliness, interaction and safety for all- also with Belgium is Design (regular) booth to initiate a performance of talented young designers, a fine representation of the country's design rush.

The 59th edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano will again venture beyond the confines of the fairground and into the city: a monumental site-specific audio-visual installation will feature in Palazzo Reale’s Sala delle Cariatidi, based on the 10 values set out in the Manifesto, which have always been an integral part of the event’s DNA. 10 films d’auteur by 10 leading Italian filmmakers will be screened. 

In the photo bellow: In Kartell’s creative workshop, in which ideas, innovations, materials and technology come together, a new project has been born, uniting two of the most emblematic Made in Italy brands, Kartell and Fiat, for a special edition in support of the launch of the new FIAT 500 full electric.

Salone 2020 Goes Virtual until 2021: An Online Preview

The following weeks we will publish several ad-hoc posts with stories from the brands we love and we featured throughout the last 5 years at the Salone (brand names, companies and houses that you all tend to be familiar with by now😊 or you can re-discover in all of our previous April posts since 2015 🙌 just on your right): news, updates, product launches, pre-call events and happenings leading to the actual dates of the fair in 2021. Stay tuned for more press releases regarding items and ideas for a quality living, in and out a rather challenging year. The difference is not only in the Living but in our Thinking and Salone 2020 is certainly here -again- to serve and celebrate this very Notion, even from a distance in the virtual world.

#ThinkingClass #DesignZone #Decongest #Disinfect #EnterSalone2021

Stay Cool - Stay Safe
A4D-D4A 💙💚

Brexit, Design-at-large and the Aftermath, (powered by Vogue Business).

England’s voluntary leave from the European edifice is cluttered with another long line of procedures and solitary agreements for every sector, minus a number of strong feelings including ambiguity and insecurities of all kinds. A capital force in the areas of (design) education/educational models, progression in creative entrepreneurship and long-term growing  business regarding design and innovation- the irreversibility of Brexit is also questioned. Will the country rejoin the EU infrastructure-alliance with a new membership at some point in the future and under which socio-economic circumstances in the continent or to be most precise- which public scheme/administration/ leadership in Brussels? A vague thought, (needless to say a wishful thinking) but a current reality-realization that bites: British design and education are not, hélas a (common) denominator anymore and eventually a contributor to the European creative locomotive, aside Italy, Spain, Portugal, Scandinavia and France.  The Thesaurus of the British school and flair in the continental design engine will be probably missed- but not before some serious issues to be tackled, from both sides. 

Crafts Council, Design Council, British Fashion Council et al: Institutions with huge portfolios of actions and a tremendous amount of work supporting design in the UK, (not just English-born designers) and making England an amid Creativity hub for the whole EU, with expats living in or migrating to the country for design studies and eventually creating a business- are coming up with new initiatives to support innovation & sustainability even more than before. It remains to see if those will continue to be “all-inclusive” in the post-Brexit era also for Europeans from other countries already living in the UK or design professionals who are interested to join those successful schemes.  

Design education in the U.K, (Media, Fashion, Product, AI, Architecture, etc) is traditionally one of the country’s biggest exports, with students’ visas avidly offered to young talents from all over the world, in order to study into a British Design Faculty. Temporary or longterm work permits for Top employees whose companies plead “irreplaceability” because of their high curriculum and “X Factor” regarding their valor to their employer, (a measure that gathered an immense community of highly talented individuals from all over the Continent and the World in the UK), will also go through reformation, provided the Brexit freshly introduced laws. 

Purchases of design goods such as clothes, furniture, accessories, tools, softwear and gadgets will have to be redefined under a specific framework - the trickiest part of the Brexit treaty. Manufacture tolls, customs, regulatory alignments, health and safety regulations and compliance with EU and third parties logistics/IT, possible individual agreements with EU countries in and out the Euro Zone- the workload is immense for those government officials and of course for Brussels administration, having on top of every other problem, the market’s morose mood: almost a denial to the fact that the free-circulation of British goods can be affected, in a deconstructive way for both cross-channel economies. 

Interested in Brexit and Fashion + More? Check imperatively the thorough survey illustrated in the article written by GEORGE ARNETT for Vogue Business:   

We Will Be Back;-)) 
A4D-D4A 😊💂

Cash in Crisis(?) Design 4 Money, the Future of Currency(-ies), Payment Technologies: A Crash Course by Victor Zhang.

Money is going to pass to a different phase? Cash is getting disembodied? We can say with certainty that the latter is transcending to a whole new form and that will affect our quality of life but most importantly, our overall culture. We asked top expert Victor Zhang to decipher the most predominant issues regarding the topic, and he came up with some concise yet captivating analysis to start with. 

Victor Zhang is a tech entrepreneur whose goal is to build solutions to increase global mass adoption of blockchain and crypto technology. He has 8 years experience in managing multinational teams and businesses all across Asia, including Australia, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, and India. He successfully managed Ticketbis(360Experience)’s APAC team, which led to their eventual acquisition from  eBay for $165 million in 2016. Victor has created 5 business start-ups in Australia, China, HK and Singapore that focus on  import/export/wholesale/sports/travel/ticketing/internet business. Victor received a Master’s Degree in Information and Communication Technology from the University of Wollongong in NSW. Victor is also the  CEO and cofounder of AlphaWallet, a programmable mobile cryptocurrency and Ethereum based application wallet and fully open-source that allow users to boost their DApps usability, scalability and privacy. 

All4design-Design4all: It’s no secret that the blockchain sector has slowed down somewhat since it’s height in 2017. What do you believe is the primary reason for that? 

Victor Zhang: The real question is “What was the primary reason for the excessive exuberance in 2017 in the first place”. It was more of a movement than development. Millennials were the driving force behind the movement.  
On the one hand, they grew up with technical miracles like Uber and self-driving cars, and by normalising and internalising these changes, believed that anything is possible. On the other hand, Millennials are overtaking baby boomers on the global stage with much less solid economic footing and prospects. They desire assets like blockchain-enabled tokens.  
 The belief in the power of technology and the need for a tech-backed asset go together hand in hand like a match made in heaven. It's a global phenomenon. It worked that way in the developed world as well as China, where property prices went prohibitively high. While technical development and industrialization ran their course, the investors - mostly firsttimers - didn't have the patience, then you see the movement halts to a stop. The hype has dwindled, but the development continues to grow.
  
A4D-D4A:“Cashless society” is a new buzz-word these days - Are we really ready for this type of transformation? What is the easiest way to explain to somebody how this world will look like? 

V.Z.: Cash in its physical form may disappear, but the attributes that make it useful will need to remain. That is: privacy-preserving peer-to-peer payments of small amounts, e.g. anonymous donations to busking street artists. Cashless technologies enable the tokenisation of many other things we need. For one example, instead of getting a parking meter ticket and putting it under the car window, the cashless technology that allowed you to pay to park can also put that same parking meter ticket as a token on your mobile phone. By going cashless now you can go ticketless.  
We shouldn’t just look at cashless as the antithesis of cash, but at what it can enable too. When the Internet came to maturity, most people hadn’t realized that it was enabling anything other than exchanging bits of information. Today it’s a platform that has enabled many other types of commerce and means of communication than simple email. Cryptowallets will rise to the same challenge. 

A4D-D4A: Can the tokenisation of (nearly every business) fight global corruption and money laundering? 
  
V.Z.: I actually don’t think global corruption and money laundering are the problems which inspired tokenisation technologies. They are also not the biggest problems of our time (unless you expand the definition of corruption to include unvetted power in general).  
Tokenisation is a disintermediating, de-platforming technology. It allows businesses to compete and innovate without seeking permissions from “FANG” and it provides the technical infrastructure of the new web or web3, with better privacy, security, competition and innovation. 

A4D-D4A: How can blockchain technology help or improve the creative industry? ( i.e. Design and Crafts, including its peripheral customer support services).

V.Z.: When you think about tokenisation you think in terms of markets. That is, what kind of market can be constructed for the creative industry that benefits every one. We can look at how Netflix created the market for the shows that wouldn’t have existed with the old markets. Can we, for example, by tokenising creator’s projects or career, make them better invested and able to focus more on their work? Can we tokenise designer dresses, therefore, increase their market value? Can we tokenise the spare time of designers to create an arbitrage market where participants are eager to seek projects for designers? That’s the line of thinking you can do to apply blockchain tokenisation technology. 
Some interesting examples, Simon de la Rouvier is a pioneer in this space, specifically for creative applications of the technology (See: "This artwork is not for sale"). Also, see examples like the "Plantoid". Lastly, applications towards artist authenticity and ownership of both physical and digital assets.

A4D-D4A: Can you please name a recent inspiration in your sector- the design of a certain platform, a device or a network etc- that got you really excited? 

V.Z.: TokenScript, the “HTML” for web 3.0 

We thank Victor ever so much for his enlightened intervention on those pivotal subjects regarding our (financial) life – for more info on AlphaWallet and Victor’s other ventures please check on the links.  

In The Future We Trust 
A4D-D4A 🙆