imm cologne 2018
System work
We all know that it is little things that make everyday life that tiny bit more enjoyable – like those the German manufacturer Authentics produces. Be it a wardrobe, a tray, a brush holder, or a garbage bin – Authentics has an appealing range of everyday helps in all shapes and sizes. Whereas over the past few years we had not heard as much about the brand, there is now a fresh wind blowing through the world of accessories again, and it is all thanks to Eva Marguerre and Marcel Besau. In the past few years, Studio Besau-Marguerre has emerged as a successful company that has made a name for itself internationally with products and projects that are equally noteworthy.
For the traditional brand Authentics, Eva Marguerre and Marcel Besau first revamped the color range, extended it to include ten new colors, and then added new products made of wood and fabric. “I often heard from colleagues, designers, and the press that Authentics was a popular brand but that they hadn’t heard anything from it for a long time. We were aware of the fact that due to the size of its collection the brand had lost a bit of its bite,” says Frederik Flötotto as he goes around the new stand at this year’s imm cologne.
The new brand identity and the new products on display at the fair are strong evidence that the collaboration with the Hamburg-based designer duo has been a resounding success: Lots of color sets the stand apart from the monotony in the halls. “The traditional brand was always renowned for strong colors, which is why we didn’t resort to pastels, but merely ‘tidied up’ the color range' and added fresh, strong colors to it,” Eva Marguerre explains. With great modesty. After all, the studio is involved in the entire makeover of the brand! And that includes not only the composition of the color and product range, but also the trade fair presentation, the design of the point of sales, and the brand’s overall appearance.
For the expansion of the product range the Hamburg studio, together with Frederik Flötotto, took other designers on board, including Norm Architects, who designed the set of “Norm Trays”: the three wooden trays in different sizes are very practical in that they can be hung on the wall and, with their simple design are of such high graphic quality that one would be quite happy with the “Norm Trays” rather than a picture. Frederik Flötotto explains that the set was inspired by a shaker design. “In our case though it’s more a mindset than a style: the industrially produced products are meant to be functional and aesthetic in everyday use,” Frederik Flötotto says. Designed by Zoë Mowat, in the “Brush" range clever, coherent details denote functionality.
“We would like to keep on developing products such as these for Authentics, which stand the test of time. Take for example the ‘Tip’ garbage bin: with the new colors it looks like a new product, though it’s already 15 years ‘old’. The timeless design, combined with attractive colors, makes Authentics a strong brand,” Eva Marguerre says, revealing future plans. And collaboration with Frederik Flötotto is also intended to be long-term; as such, we excitedly await the next new products.
