IMM Cologne 2016 – It all started when Argentinian born designer Alfredo Häberli found a leather elephant in a Swiss flea market… And it ended up with the DS-373 collection of armchairs and sofas for de Sede. The toy was made from a smooth piece of leather, and featured an exquisitely folded design, giving it its three-dimensional shape.
DS-373 series comprises armchairs and sofas that are folded with a five millimetre thick leather. One single piece of leather is arranged to wrap the whole seat to fit seamlessly across all sides, the back and the seat cushions.
Alfredo Häberli says: “The DS-373 collection is my homage to de Sede’s fascination with neck-leather. When designing it, my primary goal was to develop an understated, stripped-back shape in a refined piece of bullhide in a way which allowed the unique grain of the neck-leather to highlight the expression of the design”.
During this process, the designer focused on different leather patterns as well scaling-down stitching and ergonomics. DS-373 comes in different colours and textures ranging from whiskey-ish dark brown, to black.
The new collection shows de Sede’s ability to innovate with high quality materials and excellent workmanship. The Swiss company was born in 1965 from a small saddler’s workshop in Klingnau, Switzerland. Over the years, the brand has become a leading manufacturer of exclusive leather furniture.
Born in Buenos Aires, Alfredo Häberly is an internationally and established designer based in Zurich working for leading companies such as Vitra, BD Barcelona, Camper, Kvadrat, and Moroso. His works blends tradition with innovation with a strong influence from his early childhood in Argentina.
All photos by de Sede.