With growing interest in non-fungible tokens across the art world and a global focus on all things virtual, collectors are now looking at design as new kinds of collaborations between designers and brands emerge – with Dutch brand Moooi now turning the virtual into reality by releasing the Insta-famous Hortensia chair by Andrés Reisinger and Júlia Esqué.
"Have you ever taken a seat in 30.000 flower petals?” That’s the opening line of Moooi’s Hortensia press release, as the Marcel Wanders-led furniture provocateur challenges itself to bring a virtual, seemingly impossible-to-make chair, into reality.
Starting out as a 3D rendering that went viral on Instagram in 2018, its digital success led designer Andrés Reisinger to textile designer Júlia Esqué to develop "the feeling of sitting in a blooming flower". That meeting would take the pair on a journey to find a manufacturer to produce Hortensia.
The first step would be a limited edition, its frame handmade with a local carpentry workshop in Barcelona. The armchair’s wooden structure covered with sculpted foam and Esqué’s complex textile system comprising of about 750 modules, each with 40 petals, painstakingly applied by hand. After a year of development, the chair went on show at the Montoya Gallery in Barcelona and once it was released, Andrés' quest to make the chair available to a wider audience was set.
Hortensia covered in Moooi's Calligraphy Bird fabric. Image c/o Moooi.
“When Júlia and I felt the urge to amplify Hortensia’s exposure and accessibility, the first thing that popped into my mind was Moooi, they channel the link between the art world and the product that felt exactly right for the Hortensia Armchair”.
Andrés Reisinger
Hortensia covered in 30,000 pink petals. Photo c/o Moooi.
Designer Andrés Reisinger to textile designer Júlia Esqué. Portrait c/o Moooi.
Hortensia in Amsterdam. Photo c/o Moooi.
Hortensia covered in 30,000 pink petals. Photo c/o Moooi.
Hortensia in the wild. Photo c/o Moooi.
Hortensia covered in 30,000 grey petals. Photo c/o Moooi.
Hortensia covered in Moooi's Dodo Pavone dark grey. Photo c/o Moooi.
"At Moooi we try to make designer’s dreams come true. With the worldwide availability of the Hortensia Armchair, I’m glad we could make that happen."
Marcel Wanders, Founder and Creative Director, Moooi
“I really wanted to make this project happen with Moooi”, remarks Andrés who knew that its petals would be a hurdle for large-scale manufacturing. “When Júlia and I felt the urge to amplify Hortensia’s exposure and accessibility, the first thing that popped into my mind was Moooi, they channel the link between the art world and the product that felt exactly right for the Hortensia Armchair”.
Further developing the design with the team at Moooi, production involved creating a steel frame and applying injection moulded foam, with industrial sewing machines used to create the fabric modules. The petal fabric is the Hortensia Armchair’s signature fabric, but the voluminous chair can now also be covered in Moooi’s own fabric collection.
To celebrate Hortensia's launch, Moooi has released insights into its development featuring interviews with designers Andrés Reisinger and Júlia Esqué and a digital spectacle called Beauty Blooms. the first chapter of their 'Digital Life Extraordinary' that looks into the imaginative world of Moooi.
Moooi is available exclusively in South-East Asia from Space – Australia – and Space – Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
