“I wanted to use the traditional technique of the weaving to create a strong design that was like a gesture—the gesture of embracing someone,” Sebastian Herkner says. Over the course of three collections for Dedon, the German designer has displayed a remarkable ability to deliver striking designs that put materiality at the forefront. MBRACE, in particular, is a rare achievement in originality within the often cookie-cutter world of outdoor furniture.
Hand-crafted in the Philippines using a complex mesh-like triaxial weave consisting of three different fibers, Herkner called upon the acclaimed colorist Giulio Ridolfo to conjure up newfangled colorways such as pepper, spice, sea salt, and chestnut, among others. Available in a teak or die-cast aluminum base, the product family includes footstools, armchairs, lounge chairs and the show-stopping wingchairs, whose sculptural wide-backed spines cocoon users in a luxurious embrace (the inspiration of the collection’s name). The wingbacks are so popular that in 2020, Dedon released a cinnabar-hued, 300-piece special edition designed by Mae Engelgeer that sold out instantly.
