SINGAPORE (Dec 31): It has been 50 years since three young designers from Turin in Piedmont, Italy, joined creative forces in 1968 to come up with the Sacco beanbag chair — a simple but stylish design that continues to be a symbol of casual living and comfort today.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of this pop icon, W. Atelier and Sacco’s manufacturer, Zanotta, held an open call in July for designers in Singapore to submit proposals of their versions of the Sacco, based on the theme “Urban Living the Asian Way”.
Supported by the DesignSingapore Council, the contest shortlisted 10 versions of the award-winning beanbag. These were showcased at an evening reception for about 80 guests at W. Atelier’s Henderson showroom on Nov 15. Guests included industry partners and members of the media.
“The Sacco beanbag is a design icon that has withstood the test of time. We’re proud that our local talent has added a fresh perspective with their designs through an Asian lens and context of culture, heritage and everyday life. This exceptional opportunity by W. Atelier and Zanotta will place three designs in the global spotlight in Milan — showing the world that Singapore design can be creative, inventive and fun,” says Mark Wee, executive director of DesignSingapore Council.
Among the 10 shortlisted designs, three were picked for their outstanding integration of an Asian essence into creative yet functional pieces. They will be exhibited at the Zanotta Showroom at Piazza XXV Aprile in Milan for the entire month of February. After that, they will be reunited with the other seven, and all 10 will be showcased at the National Design Centre from July.
Here are details on the three winning designs as well as their designers:
SHIFU DE SACCO, BY JARROD LIM
Inspired by the beaded car seat cover commonly used by taxi drivers in Singapore, Lim, who runs Jarrod Lim Design, employed the same ancient weaving technique as well as wooden techniques to create the cover of his Sacco. The result is an intricate surface that promotes air circulation, and even has a “massaging” effect on the user.
PASTICHE, BY TIFFANY LOY
This hand-painted and woven skin for the Sacco is the result of Loy’s fascination with investigating and recreating time-honoured subjects from a contemporary perspective. In her interpretation of the traditional Ikat technique, a yellow zigzag motif is first painted on white cotton-linen yarn before blue yarn is woven to form a texture- on-texture overlay of patterns.
GEN SACCO, BY KARYN LIM
Lim’s innovative yet functional creation incorporates zippers into the design to not only form circular patterns across the cover, but also allow for two or more Sacco beanbags to be joined together. In a nod to the widespread Asian values of filial piety, community and unity across generations, her creation pays homage to the practice of extending one’s family or house, as well as connecting circles of people together.
