Name: smow introducing
Born: Leipzig, 2010
Alma mater: University of life
Featured designers: Christoffer Martens
smow blog: smow introducing?
(smow) blog: A series we used to publish in which we featured, younger, less well known, but in our opinion extremely talented and interesting designers and "introduced" them to a wider audience
smow blog: "Used to publish", and so why did you stop? Did you run out of young, talented designers by whom you were impressed?
(smow) blog: Far from it! But we did run out of time and space to properly devote ourselves to the task.....
smow blog: ..... and that's now changed?
(smow) blog: We've changed that. We always regretted not being able to continue with the series and have now taken the active decision to pursue it with the seriousness and propriety it deserves.
smow blog: And we imagine having dropped the parenthesis from the blog name probably helped as well, or...?
(smow) blog: Unquestionably. It's really freed up the production process, added a certain youthful vigour and esprit to our stride that has been lacking of late.
smow blog: Much as you may have enjoyed smow introducing, was it really worth it? Looking back what has become of those designers previously featured?
(smow) blog: The very first smow introducing interviewee was Burg Giebichenstein Halle graduate Stephan Schulz and since we spoke with him Stephan has completed a scholarship from the Kunststiftung Sachsen-Anhalt and the Klosterbergischen Stiftung and realised new projects for Calvin Klein Home and Betoniu. Following Stephan Schulz we featured Baden-Württemberg based manufacturer maigrau a.k.a. Kunstakademie Stuttgart graduates Nik Back & Alexander Stamminger, who have since kept good their promise to expand the company with works by external designers and in doing so have made maigrau an even more interesting brand than it was when we first met them. Our favourite Portuguese designer Rui Alves has continued to make Portuguese design contemporary and currently has products in production with Italian manufacturer Valsecchi1918 and Danish label menu - who also produce and distribute the BookBinder bookend by Berlin based, smow introducing alumni Christoffer Martens. Düsseldorf based Christian Lessing continues with his quest to bring the fun back into the living spaces, and balconies, as well as being a member of Düsseldorf creative collective teilmöbliert, Oslo based Erik Wester is, inexplicably, still looking for a manufacturer for his Standing Task lamp has however expanded his repertoire to include graphic design and Hamburg based Hochschule für Gestaltung Karlsruhe graduate Eva Marguerre has teamed up with Marcel Besau as the imaginatively titled Studio Besau-Marguerre and amongst other projects have recently completed a family of lamps for Frankfurt based manufacturer e15.
smow blog: Not entirely unimpressive, but are you happy with the way the featured designers, and for all their careers, have developed?
(smow) blog: On the whole yes, very. Looking back however one continually comes across objects that we remain as convinced as ever should be million selling standards, but aren't. A situation that for us wonderfully sums up the vagaries of the design industry and just how hard it is to establish oneself. We however haven't completely given up hope that one of the ever increasing number of smaller manufacturers might find interest in one or the other unpublished design.
smow blog: Looking back what continually occurs to us is that smow introducing appears to be the only occasion in which you use official press photos rather than your own photos. A deliberate decision?
(smow) blog: Yes. As we say its hard enough to establish yourself as a designer without us sabotaging careers with our photography!
smow blog: And so when can we expect the return of smow introducing?
(smow) blog: Any day now.... watch this space!
