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citizenM hotels are known for striking and recognisable interior design featuring Vitra furniture including the iconic Lounge Chair by Ray & Charles Eames (1956) |
- The collaboration with citizenM will see students submit designs for three iconic Vitra pieces
- Winning designers will have special visit to Vitra’s at Campus in Weil am Rhein
- One piece will be added to the Vitra collection at citizenM, Glasgow
- Two designs will be auctioned to support a bursary for future design students at the GSA, focusing on design sustainability
- Textiles for the project will be provided by Bute Fabrics
Master of Interior Design students at the GSA are to have a unique opportunity to create new takes on classic Vitra furniture designs it has been revealed. The project, a collaboration with citizenM, will champion sustainability in design, fund teaching of sustainable design for future students, and create one-off Vitra pieces for sale.
At citizenM Glasgow, which opened in 2010, some of the Vitra pieces now understandably need to be refreshed. In line with its sustainability ethos, citizenM decided to refurbish these pieces rather than replace them. Building on a longstanding relationship with the GSA, they have now invited masters students to submit their take on three iconic Vitra pieces: the Alcove Two-Seater designed by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, 2006-08; Amoebe Highback by Verner Panton, 1970; and the iconic lounge chair by Charles & Ray Eames, 1956.
The emerging designers will receive mentoring and an immersion into the process of bringing a piece of furniture to life including a visit to the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany. Bute Fabrics will supply textiles for the project, and the designers will be connected with local Scottish manufacturing partners, all facilitated and made possible by citizen. One design will remain in citizenM Glasgow and two will be made available for the public to buy to fund a bursary for future design students at the GSA, focusing on design sustainability
“This is a tremendous opportunity for our students to develop their professional practice and to benefit from the expertise of one of the world’s most influential design companies,” says Penny Macbeth, Director of The Glasgow School of Art.
Robin Chadha, Chief Marketing Officer of citizenM commented: “this project speaks to the quality and timelessness of Vitra design as well as championing a new generation of designers. It also has a strong sustainability mission, as we seek to reuse and repurpose quality pieces rather than discard and replace. These three factors are intrinsic to the values of the citizenM brand and I am excited to see the new pieces the students will create.”
Full text of the citizenM press release below
For further information on the GSA contact
Lesley Booth
0779 941 4474
@GSofAMedia
News Release
citizen announces collaboration with The Glasgow School of Art
One of award-winning lifestyle and hotel brand citizenM’s most striking and recognisable interior design features is the Vitra furniture on display across all of its 21 hotels. At citizenM Glasgow, which opened in 2010, some of the pieces now understandably need to be refreshed. In line with its sustainability ethos, citizenM has decided to refurbish these pieces rather than replacing them. It has initiated a multi-faceted project with The Glasgow School of Art (the GSA) that will see postgraduate Interior Design students from the world-leading art school commissioned to submit their take on three iconic Vitra pieces.
Contributing to the MDes Interior Design postgraduate programme, launching on 18th January 2021, students will first be briefed on the module, which will broadly focus on sustainable design. They will then be invited to submit designs for the pieces, following which three students will be selected by a panel of industry experts to take their ideas through to completion. The emerging designers will then receive further mentoring and an immersion into the process of bringing a piece of furniture to life; including a visit to the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany, and a session with the media on how to present a new design brand. Scottish company Bute Fabrics will supply textiles for the project and the designers will be connected with local Scottish manufacturing partners, all facilitated and made possible by citizenM.
The result will be three pieces of furniture given a new lease of life; the Alcove Two-Seater designed by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, 2006-08; Amoebe Highback by Verner Panton, 1970; and the iconic lounge chair by Charles & Ray Eames, 1956. One piece will remain in citizenM Glasgow and two will be made available for the public to buy through the online platform Artsy in order to fund a bursary for future design students at the GSA, focusing on design sustainability. citizenM is also planning a series of digital and local activations for the public that will offer insight into the project as it progresses and upon completion in Autumn 2021.
citizenM’s vision is to influence positive change in a world where we are simply guests. It’s Environmental Social Governance (ESG) strategy focuses on how the business, its development and hotel operations can contribute to positive environmental, social and economical outputs – not only for hotel guests, investors and employees but the communities the team operates in too. citizenM aims to make positive movements in its society by shortening the distance between people and opportunities; locally and globally.
Robin Chadha, Chief Marketing Officer of citizenM commented “this project speaks to the quality and timelessness of Vitra design as well as championing a new generation of designers. It also has a strong sustainability mission, as we seek to reuse and repurpose quality pieces rather than discard and replace. These three factors are intrinsic to the values of the citizenM brand and I am excited to see the new pieces the students will create.”
“This is a tremendous opportunity for our students to develop their professional practice and to benefit from the expertise of one of the world’s most influential design companies,” says Penny Macbeth, Director of The Glasgow School of Art.
“A commitment to sustainable design is crucial if we are to address climate change, one of the biggest challenges facing the world today,” she adds. “Both citizenM and Vitra are known for championing sustainable design, so this exciting project will give our students particular insight into how to embed it in their own design thinking.”
“We are grateful to citizenM for their ongoing support of The Glasgow School of Art.”
To follow along the project journey, visit www.citizenm.com/gsa-x-citizenm
Notes for Editors
About the collaboration
citizenM has a longstanding relationship with The Glasgow School of Art, which began with a partnership with the Master of Fine Arts programme in 2013. Since then, citizenM has helped to launch the careers of 184 GSA artists, with 33 benefiting by being selected to show within the group’s hotels globally. citizenM has also provided mentoring and access to influential networks for the next generation of designers and artists. This has included a Fine Art Photography showcase during the prestigious Photo London festival for undergraduate students as well as industry projects for Interior Design students.
About citizenM
citizenM was launched in 2008 with a purpose – to disrupt the traditional hotel industry. Rattan Chadha – the founder of the global fashion brand Mexx – was inspired by his employees to create a hotel for the modern travellers, giving them everything they need and nothing they don’t. This means central locations in the world’s most exciting cities, but at an affordable price. Not just a place to sleep, but somewhere to work, relax and play – just like home. Somewhere with superfast free Wi-Fi, tech that makes life easy, and a great bed to crash in at the end of a long day. Rattan Chadha called this philosophy ‘affordable luxury for the people’.
The first citizenM opened at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport in 2008. Today, citizenM’s portfolio includes 21 hotels in 14 exciting cities: London, Glasgow, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Paris, Copenhagen, Zurich, Geneva, New York, Boston, Seattle, Washington DC, Taipei and Kuala Lumpur.
In summer 2020, citizenM launched an app that’s much more than a room reservation tool. The app enables fully contactless stays (checking in, opening doors, adjusting room ambiance, paying for purchases all via the guest’s own smartphone), and adds dozens of local perks (like discounts on bike rentals and food), tailored experiences, collectable badges and city guides. The app and contactless journey is the first of its kind in the world.
About The Glasgow School of Art
The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) was founded in 1845 as one of the first Government Schools of Design, as a centre of creativity promoting good design for the manufacturing industries of Glasgow. However, the School’s lineage can be traced to 1753 when Robert Foulis established a school of art and design in Glasgow, which was described as the single most influential factor in the development of eighteenth-century Scottish Art. Today, The GSA is internationally recognised as one of Europe’s leading university-level institutions for the visual creative disciplines. Our studio-based approach to research and teaching brings disciplines together to explore problems in new ways and to find innovative solutions. The studio creates the environment for inter-disciplinary working, peer learning, critical inquiry, experimentation and prototyping, helping to address many of the great challenges confronting society and contemporary business.
@GSofA
About Bute
Bute Fabrics was founded in 1947 by the 5th Marquess of Bute with the sole purpose of
providing employment opportunities for service people returning home from the Second World War. Since then, it has gone from strength to strength, cultivating markets worldwide and consistently pushing the boundaries of innovation. To this day it is supported by the Bute family and shares in their continuing commitment towards the local community.
The Isle of Bute is steeped in history and has an astonishing array of different landscapes. These ready-made palettes of colours and textures provide us with a continual source of
inspiration and with the use of natural wool fibre we create world class fabrics that are
sustainable and environmentally friendly. It’s so peaceful, you’d be forgiven for thinking we’re a million miles away from it all. In fact, Bute is one of Scotland’s most accessible islands and only 33 miles away from the city of Glasgow. Which means we can dispatch our fabrics to customers all over the world in the blink of an eye. The Isle of Bute is the perfect home for our internationally acclaimed business.
We have some of the most technically advanced woollen fabrics in the industry and nothing matters more to us than its quality and performance. All of our textiles go through extensive and rigorous testing in our in-house laboratory. It’s crucial our customers have a durable
fabric, especially when it comes to high performance environments.
It’s not just our looms that are at the heart of Bute Fabrics: our people are too. It’s their
specialist skills and drive that make it possible for us to be leaders in an international
marketplace. It’s this perfect combination of machinery and knowledge that ensures we’re the natural choice for fabric solutions and that we always have a product our customers love.