Made in Mimbre (by The Andes House, Chile)
International launch at Design Junction during London Design Festival, September 2013
We are impressed by the achievements of the young team at Made in Mimbre. They have succeeded in creating and manufacturing their beautiful lighting collection locally. Not only that, their whole ethos of employing local artisans to create contemporary objects in a professional context and in so doing preserve their wicker weaving techniques makes us profoundly happy to be a part of. Not only do we see great potential and intrinsic value in the handicraft of their products, the quality of the light from within their lamps is fantastically warm and atmospheric. Collaborating with Made in Mimbre on our first collection has been a pleasure and a joy!
In honour of the origins of the manufacturer we have chosen to give the lamp designs Spanish names: MEDUSA, CHINITA, BELLOTA.
The MEDUSA lamps, with their oval-shaped lampshades, appear to balance on numerous thin, spindly supports. Rather than trimming the excess lengths of wicker, as is usually done, we have kept them and hidden three, thin metal legs amongst them. The resulting designs reminded us of jellyfish, floating, with their many trailing tendrils.
Almost as if they have been nipped and then pulled, four 'feet' appear to have been stretched from the bottom edge of the CHINITA lamps. We think that the gesture results in a series of lamps with a cute, creature-like character. Like small, friendly bugs. Like ladybird bugs, for example.
The BELLOTA suspension lamps are two, similar forms combined to make a whole. Yet there is a clear division between the two. In keeping with the nature theme, the inspiration for the BELLOTA design is derived from the distinctive form of the acorn, where one form can be seen to partially 'cover' the other.
