B&B Italia has unveiled an ecoversion of the iconic Up 5 armchairs
Jan 1, 2022
The Italian factory B&B Italia has produced a cork version of the iconic Up 5 and Up 6 armchairs and poufs. Bottle corks collected by Italian schoolchildren all over the country were used for the production. The corks were then ground into granules and mixed with natural binders. The result is an environmentally friendly object which promotes the idea of moderate consumption.
The Up collection was designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1969. The anthropomorphic shape of the chair was inspired by the silhouette of a fertility goddess, while the ottoman, fixed into a sphere, symbolised the bondage, i.e. the dependent position of women. The armchair was filled with polyurethane foam, which was 90% air. Pesce came up with the idea of evacuating the air and selling the furniture in a flat vacuum pack.
In 2000, B&B Italia bought the rights to reissue the model from the designer and began producing it as part of the Up 2000 collection. Almost every year for Milan Design Week, the brand prepares a special exhibition dedicated to this all-time bestseller. For example, the jersey and silver nylon versions, a wooden model, a children's version and even a huge installation of Maestà Soffrente in Piazza del Duomo in 2019 have already stirred the public's imagination.
New Studio is a representative of the Italian brand B&B Italia in Belarus.
