marni: 100 chairs made by colombian ex prisoners

  marni: 100 chairs made by colombian ex prisoners

using salvaged materials, colombian craftsmen worked together with milan-based fashion house marni to create ‘100 chairs’, an outdoor furniture collection consisting of 80 chairs, 10 deckchairs and 10 tables in 20 colors, 7 models and 21 variations. concrete reinforced bars form the frame of each piece while colored PVC plastic pipes are woven for the seats and backrests. the patterns and colors of were all personally picked by marni staff.

‘sofa’ 140 x 70 x 70 cm (55 x 28 x 28 inches)

the production of the chairs was done in the south american country’s city of san gil as part of a rehabilitation program set up by antonio. having experienced the harshness of imprisonment himself, antonio leads a studio where craftsmen as well as former inmates work together to produce the iron and plastic pieces.

‘playera’ 200 x 60 x 70 cm (79 x 24 x 28 inches)

the project was for milan design week 2012, where the chairs were sold at the marni boutique at via della spiga 50 during the event. as part of the initiative, photographer and filmmaker francesco jodice made a collection of images of the marni staff sitting in the chairs for ‘l’arte del ritratto’. all the proceeds made from the sales went to the ICAM institute in milan, an organization which enables the children of imprisoned mothers to spend their first years in a family environment more fitting for their growth.

(left) mesedora 70 x 100 x 110 cm (28 x 39 x 43 inches) (right) comedor 75 x 50 x 110 cm (28 x 20 x 43 inches)

(left) sala (right) sala in green, yellow, cyan and violet version  80 x 70 x 90 cm (31 x 28 x 35 inches)

color variations of the outdoor furniture 

l’arte del ritratto by francesco jodice

chairs being made in colombia

the workshop

process video of craftsmen building the chair