Bringing a welcome accessibility to the world of design, Swiss-French designer Julie Richoz has collaborated with A Vibe Called Tech and WePresent to create an open-source design toolkit allowing users to create a customisable mirror for themselves
Photography by Conor Cinch, Julie Richoz pictured here crafting the T-Mirror for Future Classics, in partnership with A Vibe Called Tech and WePresent
Words by Roddy Clarke
With open-source concepts injecting a refreshing accessibility into the world of design, alongside the obvious environmental benefits that come with empowering creative communities to manufacture on a local level, it also is reconnecting end users with the process of making; a much-needed shift in a consumer-led world where provenance and craft have sadly become overshadowed. For WePresent, the Arts platform of WeTransfer, they are hoping to raise awareness around such topics through an initiative titled Future Classics: a series of free design toolkits allowing anyone to create items designed by a selection of international makers.
Photography by Conor Cinch, The T-Mirror by Julie Richoz is available to download digitally via WeTransfer, allowing users all over the world to create there own version of the design
Launching the second iteration of Future Classics last month in Paris, it sees them collaborating with London-based creative studio and arts consultancy A Vibe Called Tech and Swiss-French designer Julie Richoz who has designed the customisable T-Mirror, available for download exclusively via WeTransfer. Following on from its first edition in partnership with Andu Masebo, who created a design toolkit for a lamp, this continues the platform’s mission to further democratise design. Free to download, the toolkits are also intended for users to utilise whatever resources or tools they have access to, another step in providing full accessibility.
For Richoz, she welcomed the opportunity with open arms, saying how it was completely different to designing an object for a company, centring her attention on a design that anyone could manufacture, even with basic tools. Known for her collaborations with iconic design houses such as HAY, Vitra and Alessi since graduating from ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne in 2012, the award-winning designer states working in this context helped her to focus on clarity and essential gestures. ‘The most challenging part was also the most rewarding,’ she comments, ‘allowing the object to evolve through the hands of those who make it.’
Photography by Conor Cinch, Julie Richoz (pictured here) says the experience has been rewarding, with the object she designed evolving through the hands of those that make it
With the digital toolkit conceived by A Vibe Called Tech, its founder Charlene Prempeh and Creative Director Lewis Gilbert say Julie was the studio’s first choice for this second iteration. ‘Following a successful launch in London with Andu Masebo, this project was very much about allowing her vision to shine,’ Prempeh says. ‘After briefing her on the essential elements, such as ensuring the project was accessible and customisable, the goal became bringing Julie’s thoughtful, imaginative design to life and making it available to as many people as possible.’
Photography by Ghislène Ghouraïb, Julie Richoz unveiled her design in Paris by hosting a Future Classics workshop with A Vibe Called Tech and WePresent
Launching with an immersive workshop where attendees had the chance to create their own mirrors, the positive impacts from such initiatives remain clear. ‘I understood how open source brings design closer to people,’ Richoz continues. ‘By sharing methods and construction principles, objects become understandable, adaptable and more personal. It encourages a more conscious relationship to making and shifts design from something that sometimes can be seen as too exclusive, to something generous and participatory.’
Photography by Conor Cinch, The T-Mirror features a minimal T-shaped frame with rope connecting the frame and mirror together. The digital toolkit provides a step-by-step guide to build the mirror, with the opportunity to tailor to your own style, combinations and proportions
With a 2022 survey conducted by Eurostat highlighting how the participation rate in cultural activities among people with the highest incomes was at least twice that of those with the lowest incomes across 17 EU countries, the need for such accessibility is critical. ‘Projects like this act as an invitation to people who may feel the design world isn’t a place for them,’ says Gilbert, ‘and this initiative removes barriers allowing you to create specially designed pieces from simple, accessible materials at home. The most meaningful collaboration is the one between the participant and the designer: the designer provides the guide, and the participant uses it to create something uniquely their own, regardless of skill level. Seeing people engage with making and crafting again, while valuing pieces with a personal connection and story, has been both important and eye-opening.’
Both Future Classics toolkits can be downloaded here.
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