Stacking Pillows Like a Pro

Willo Perron was born into a family of Canadian artists in Montreal, where he grew up until the age of 25. As a self-taught man, he created flyers for the skateboard scene, designed clothing and opened a record store. After a few stops in between, he moved on to New York via Los Angeles, as he initially didn't like the city on the west coast. Once in the Big Apple, he worked for the hip-hop record label Rawkus. In the early 2000s, Perron returned to Montreal and met Dov Charney, also from Montreal and founder of American Apparel. Together with his brother Zebulon, Willo designed the first store – and thus the prototype for the American Apparel stores.

During a vacation in Los Angeles, he decided to stay. After a short time at Apple, he met Kanye West in 2006. This was the beginning of his career as a creative director in the music industry. He founded the studio Willo Perron & Associates, whose broad portfolio ranges from the graphic design of albums, stage sets for concerts, live events, videos and advertising campaigns to the design of stores. His clients include artists such as Rihanna, Jay-Z, St. Vincent, Mark Ronson and Lady Gaga as well as brands like Stussy and Adidas.

The fact that this creative mind has now realized a sofa with Knoll is perhaps the logical next step in his activity. Originally developed for a private residential project, the design convinced the Senior Vice President of Design at Knoll, Jonathan Olivares. Together they brought the oversize design down to a "human scale", Willo Perron explained at the Salone. This may seem grotesque, as this "human scale" still appears generously over-dimensioned. The "Perron Pillo Sofa" is a completely modular system that can be adapted to any room in a wide variety of constellations. There are also different fabric qualities, whereby the light-colored, slightly textured linen cover meets Perron's original vision.

When asked how it feels to work for a brand for which icons such as Mies van der Rohe, Florence Knoll, Eero Saarinen, Harry Bertoia or Richard Schultz have designed, he said very modestly: "It's a crazy honor that makes almost no sense."

The second part of his answer might be seen quite differently: It actually makes a lot of sense, because the "Perron Pillo Sofa" seems so natural, so unagitatedly different. It appears like the kind of sofa you imagine as a child, a seemingly simple pile of oversized cushions that offer unforgettable seating comfort. You sink into the expansive mountains of pillows and just relax.