Although it is completely contemporary, the Mirage

collection gives off a kind of Art Deco feel.

EQ: In fact, it was a movement influenced by

geometry. Before industrial design was established

as a discipline, Deco already had this fundamental

quality of streamlining shapes, of using geometrics.

Of course I incorporate elements of Art Deco into my

work, but this is only one source of inspiration. I also

draw on futurism, another 20th century movement

that really interests me. In turn, Deco, with its faceted

designs, was inspired by Egyptian art. And so we could

start establishing a chain of interlinking elements...

The Chanel No. 5 perfume bottle—which I find very

inspirational—is part of this world. I would say that the

Mirage collection has a very French feel.

Luxury items also require high purchasing power.

EQ: When a product has a high price, it must

be due to the fact that the production processes are

complex, quality materials have been used and it

has been expertly manufactured. However, I have

put the same effort into creating this collection as

I did when designing disposable cutlery, made using 3

grams of plastic, for the AirFrance airline company.

Price should never limit product expectations. If you

intend to create a new item, it should always meet these

expectations.

How would you describe the designer’s role nowadays?

What is their mission?

EQ: It’s hard to say. The image is very much

tangled, and you have to untangle it to understand.

INTERVIEW

You have lived in Paris for ten years—what has daily

life in the French capital brought to you as a designer?

EQ: Above all, an absolute demand for

perfection. You find it in so many places, in haute

couture, in decorative arts, in the urban planning of

Paris itself. Everything is carefully planned. When

they create something, it is designed to last forever.

Brands like Christofle, one of the best goldsmiths in

France, with its exquisite craftsmanship, still exist. Or

the Baccarat glassware, with its sense of royalty, fit for

kings. There is a noble aspect, a divine dimension to

the product. With today’s industrial systems it is now

possible to recreate this type of product, with these

same qualities, but at the same time staying within

everyone’s reach.

I go back to the basics of design. I think design has to

be an evolutionary process to allow for the discovery

of new features and new ways of using things. It’s a

perpetual motion, it’s always moving forward.

Nowadays the word “design” is used in relation to many

things, but it has a regressive effect. For decorative

arts, in the production of handmade products. Hand-

crafted products are making a reappearance because

of lack of investment in the manufacturing industry.

I’m really interested in expert craftsmanship, but

especially in incorporating it within an industrial

production context. For me design is always linked

to industry, there is always an element of modernity.

The designer is part inventor, part engineer, part artist

and part dreamer. They are a mix of all these things.

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