Collection: Lanzavecchia + Wai
Born in 2010 from the collaboration between Francesca Lanzavecchia and Hunn Wai Lanzavecchia + Wai is an Italian-Singaporean creative office in which two very different cultural backgrounds intertwine - and nourish each other. Wai, born in London in 1980, grew up in Singapore and studied industrial design at the National University. Lanzavecchia (Pavia, 1983) obtained her degree in Product Design from the Milan Polytechnic. Their paths crossed at the Design Academy in Eindhoven, where they both got their Masters in Design under the direction of Gijs Bakke. What makes their approach to design so innovative and remarkable is a human-centred design approach that pays careful attention to materials and production processes (an area of particular interest for Wai) and the relationship between objects and people (an aspect of special focus for Lanzavecchia). For Lanzavecchia + Wai, design means lateral thinking and exploring new possibilities, perspectives and dimensions. Their project for the 2012 SaloneSatellite, No Country for Old Men, is dedicated to design for seniors. It consists of furnishings and accessories for those who, for various reasons - age or accidents - find themselves living in their homes with mobility problems or other physical limitations.
Despite their interest in the prospects and potential offered by new materials, they also investigate traditional materials, such as glass, the centrepiece of a family of accessories designed for Secondome Edizioni, or textiles, which they seek to use in an innovative way in collaboration with companies like Opificio. Their inclination for experimentation and their forward-looking approach has given rise to such projects as Living Vase 01, a digital NFT (non-fungible token) created for Vogue Singapore. Segni, a modular seating system developed for Orografie, allows total freedom of choice of positions which today, in light of new hybrid working practices imposed by the pandemic, reaffirms its visionary nature.
Their designs are translated into limited editions and industrial productions. They collaborate with brands like Zanotta, FIAM, Living Divani, Cappellini, De Castelli, Gallotti&Radice, Bosa, Nodus, Mirage, and LaCividina. They have worked on special commissions for such brands and museums as Hermès, La Triennale di Milano, MAXXI, Alcantara, Antolini, Tod's, and Agusta Westland. Their most significant awards include the 2018 Land Rover BORN Award - International Home Category; the 2016 Red Dot Award Product Design for the Transition tile collection for Mirage; the 2015 Innovation in Inclusive Design Practice Award from the Helen Hamlyn Center for Design at the Royal College of Art in London for No Country for Old Men and ProEstetica; and the Young Design Talent of the Year from the 2014 Elle Deco International Design Prize.
