words Justin McGuirk
JM What is your name?
MW Moritz Waldemeyer. > Truth
JM How old are you?
MW 35 years old now. > Truth
JM Do you ever get tired of other people taking credit for your work?
MW Well it doesn’t happen. In the projects where I work with other people its usually their project, so maybe the resentment is the other way around, that they are tired of me taking credit for their work? > Truth/High stress
JM Do you think Hussein Chalayan would be as well known without you?
MW I’m sure he would be because he is such a crazy creator in his mind. His important and famous work started way before we actually met. > Subject not sure
JM Who is the most difficult person you have collaborated with?
MW Probably Zaha Hadid. Only I was lucky enough to not work with her but with the people in her team. She only appeared at the end when the project was done. > Truth/High stress
JM Did she ask to change everything?
MW Well, there was a strange little episode at the press launch. She came into the room and expressed she wasn’t very happy with the project in front of everybody. > Truth
JM Do you think anyone has ever stolen one of your designs?
MW No, I don’t think so. There will always be people doing similar things because there are certain topics that are interesting at that point in time. > Truth/excitement
JM Have you ever stolen or borrowed an idea without acknowledging it?
MW Maybe unconsciously you will pick up on certain things. You might have seen a project, forgot about it and then somehow it comes up in your head again. > Truth
JM What do you think of the Royal College of Art?
MW I think it’s a great place. It’s a very select bunch and it’s very international so it’s quite an elite place but very enjoyable for that and very creative at the same time. > Inaccurate/High stress
JM What’s the most common limitation in the designers you work with?
MW I guess they are limited in their technical knowledge and that’s the reason why they work with me. I’m acting as bridge for designers into worlds that they don’t necessarily have access to. > Truth
JM How much money do you make in an average year?
MW It’s difficult to answer as when you do your books you try to calculate the number as low as possible with intelligent book keeping. I’m getting an average yearly income of ten grand or something ridiculous. But at the same time we did buy a house and we do have nice car. I’ve worked in a bank but I’m still baffled by the untruth of the process of book keeping. > Not sure/High stress
JM What’s the most useless thing you have ever designed?
MW From a certain degree they are probably all useless. Like a painting is useless but at the same time it gives people a warm a fuzzy feeling. > Truth
JM What do you think of Swarovski and the role it plays in design?
MW I think they have taken on an amazing role of being the ultimate patron of the arts because they have poured incredible amounts of money into design. At the same time with all that freedom they could do a lot better. They should be more courageous, in some ways they do play too safe. > Truth/Inaccuracy
Portrait by Maja Flink
