qeeboo - a next generation design brand created by stefano giovannoni

qeeboo – a next generation design brand created by stefano giovannoni

over the last year, designboom has accompanied stefano giovannoni and the group of designers in the product planning and marketing strategy for the debut of ‘qeeboo‘ — a next generation design brand that aims at producing affordable, injection moulded plastic furniture and objects. known for his best-selling products, stefano giovannoni asked well-known creatives andrea branzi, gabriele chiave of marcel wanders studio, richard hutten, nika zupanc, and front to contribute with their designs — from chairs to lighting to vases… the ‘qeeboo’ founder chose the diverse group of designers not only because they have been confidantes for one another over the years, but because at the heart of their practices, each one is technically able to poetically display a strong narrative through spirited forms, that delivers a high level of emotional value.

stefano giovannoni

stefano giovannoni shares his motivation for developing ‘qeeboo’, and his brand manifesto with designboom:

QEEBOO is a new way of manufacturing and distributing design.
QEEBOO is an italian brand that, strong in its italian way of thinking about design, opens up to the international market, with a focus on reaching people’s hearts.
QEEBOO, unlike traditional companies is not for the bourgeois, it moves on a new business model, choosing the web as its key point and then using it to shorten the supply chain.
QEEBOO produces objects meant to be delivered to a large audience, combining high levels of quality with low costs.
QEEBOO and its designers move through a narrative approach coming out from their expressive language, having in common a figurative research that is an important element of communication, in order to create iconic objects that express great emotional power.
QEEBOO is an italian brand created by stefano giovannoni who called andrea branzi, front, richard hutten, marcel wanders, nika zupanc to join its debut collection.
QEEBOO will present 25 plastic objects, among which chairs, tables, lamps and accessories realized thanks to advanced industrial technologies and techniques.
QEEBOO has a very light operative structure by outsourcing many of its activities. it thinks playfully, it produces taking care of the quality, it talks with the audience and tries to imagine the future.

products from the debut collection

on the occasion of milan design week 2016 ‘qeeboo’ will go live delivering 25 products that will be sold exclusively online through its official website; and on the designboom shop!

while still working with so many well-known companies on meaningful and impactful design projects, giovannoni has decided to embark on his own journey, creating what he calls ‘a next generation design brand’. with the support of a minority share holder (a hong kong-based investor), the italian designer is now channeling his creativity and industry expertise into ‘qeeboo’ – a company that aims at producing accessible design furniture and objects.

nika zupanc

there was no brief for the designers involved in terms of what they could produce. the only common thread was that all products needed to be made from plastic. to give you an idea of what’s in store, slovenian designer nika zupanc has re-imagined three of her existing works for qeeboo’s production-line manufacturing: her ‘X’ chair for MOOOI; her ‘ribbon’ chair — created as a one-off piece for dior; her ‘cherry lamp’ — previously made from hand-blown glass, with a brass metal frame; while also conceiving a daisy-shaped vase specifically for the brand

front

swedish studio front has manipulated intersecting lines and curves to realize the ‘loop’ chair; while dutch designer richard hutten has employed mathematical formulae, conceiving a variety of lighting objects that are geometrically perfect, and scientifically accurate. gabriele chiave, creative director at marcel wanders, contributed a capsule collection, merging a colourful geometric print with updated classic silhouettes. while each product clearly highlights the involved designers’ signature aesthetics, they collectively share giovannoni’s whimsical vision of design. based on an innovative business model, ‘qeeboo’ sees giovannoni tapping into new methods of manufacturing and distribution.

andrea branzi

with an investment of approximately €2 million euro, ‘qeeboo’ has purchased injection and rotational-moulding equipment, along with other tools to render more detailed surfaces and finishes, to produce the collection. with ‘qeeboo’, giovannoni wants to skip the traditional means of distribution by outsourcing logistics and warehousing so that he can just focus on what is most important to the company’s development — design and production. manufacturing of the products is set-up in italy and china, in order to harness distinct production expertise. through ‘qeeboo’, stefano giovannoni seeks to revolutionize affordable design, making it accessible, choosing the web as its main selling point, in order to bring creative dreams and objects to the average home.

richard hutten