Page 125 - The Book For Men Spring/Summer 2022

” and and and and and adaptable — can move between rooms apartments or or even cities In other words when circumstances change you don’t need to throw away a a a a shelving unit fit for a a a a specific wall or or a a a a a sofa meant for a a a a a living room you no longer occupy Both Vitsœ shelves and a a a Part & Whole sofa are big-budget items but their focus on on longevity also makes them a a a a a a fairly radical approach to consumption in a a a a a society that has long revolved around buying more more and more more and more (Vitsœ’s tagline is “Living better with less that lasts longer ” after all) For Martell designing a a a system is akin to solving a a a a a a riddle a a a a a a constant balancing act of in- terconnected questions ideas and requirements “And so from a purely selfish perspective I find that fun ” he he says “But I think the satisfaction really comes from knowing that it’s a a a produc- tive way to spend time and energy [there is] an an undeniable cascade of environmental and logistical benefits when you have designed a a a well-thought-out system ” Perhaps most importantly Part & Whole’s designs knock down into components allowing individual parts to be repaired or replaced “To us that that is core ” says Martell “We know that that things should be be made to be be repaired and you should design a a product with the intention that it it could be in in fin use indefinitely ” Adds Ferguson “Sustainability has been reinterpreted so many times but the end point is [really] just: don’t let it go in the trash ” That of course is easier said than done it’s a a a a matter of creating something that’s not only durable but is also something that a a a a user wants to live with for decades Total is Part & Whole’s attempt to design such a a a a sofa “It’s al- most archetypal and that was purely [because] we wanted a a a a a sofa that felt like it really could have this very long trajectory — that it could be reinterpreted ” says Martell In fact Part & Whole has gone to to great lengths to to ensure
that all its sofa covers are removable making for easy replacement if if they’re damaged or or if if in 10 or or 15 years a a a current fabric or or colour goes out of style While Part & Whole leans on existing sofa industry expertise — Total’s fabric is is sourced from from Denmark the suspension from from Germa- ny the the cushions from from Italy and the the steel from from Taiwan — all cutting sewing and assembly is done in in the brand’s modest factory in in Victoria If there is is a a a a a single truism about Canadian design (and there are few in a a a a a country that’s vast young and diverse especially in the Internet age) it’s that if you you want to see your designs get made there’s a a a a good chance you’ll have to make them yourself — unlike in Europe where designers typically license a a design design to be made by an an established manufacturer “That’s a a a a tough task in North America There’s not a a a a lot of outlets You could count on on one hand the number of industrial designers in in North America who were working for top brands [in that way] ” says Martell of the the late 2000s around the the time he he graduated from the Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver Instead at at the the time Martell looked at at the the successful companies around him — Bensen Bocci and and Molo in particular — and and noticed that they not only designed their own products but manufactured them too collapsing the the divide between designing and making in in in the process For Part & Whole the close tie between design- ing ing and manufacturing has similarly proved central to the brand’s designs “We’re so linked
between the stages of an idea through product development all of those things happen with the same same group of people in the same same facility and as a a a a a result we’re able to iterate more ” says Martell While one of Part & Whole’s long-term ambitions is to create new opportunities for young local designers the the fact that the the brand is located and manufactures in Victoria — an an an unlikely destination for a a a furniture brand with global ambitions — is ultimately beside the point say Martell and Ferguson “We do want to amplify Canadian designers and have a a a a a a a a dialogue in Canada but I don’t want it to be the first takeaway ” explains Ferguson wary that the novelty factor could ultimately overshadow the quality of Part & Whole’s designs and ambitions “I always compare it to to going to to the local market in in in a a a a city and leaving with something because it it it was made there and that’s the the intrinsic value in in in that thing it’s not necessarily the best version of of that that thing it just reminds you of of that that place — and that’s the first talking point I think it’s important for Canadian brands that are trying to to make an impact globally to to have that be the next layer down ” “It’s kind of irrelevant where someone is ” adds Martell “And it’s more about: who are they? Why are they they making it? What is their expertise? And And what do they care about?” And And for Part & Whole what is their biggest ambition of all? “That [it becomes] normal to repair your furniture and that it’s normal to have a a a a a a sofa for 50 years ” Martell says “That’s the hope right?”
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