Vitra - timeless design classics
Limited Edition
Eames Fibreglass Side Chair La Fonda Limited Edition
After Vitra had to discontinue production of the Eames fibreglass chair in the 1990s, an alternative was found in the form of plastic chairs made of polypropylene, which did not appeal to everyone. Without the vibrancy and structure of fibreglass, the Eames chairs had lost some of their character. Since 2018, the fibreglass chairs have been back with a new manufacturing process - and in their former beauty! Vitra is introducing the Eames Fibreglass Side Chair with La Fonda base frame as a limited edition, in which the seat shell by Charles and Ray Eames is fitted with cushions made of Toostripe fabric by Alexander Girard. The chair is available in two colour versions of 250 pieces each.
One of the Eames Plastic Chairs, the DAW chair, was presented for the first time in 1948 as part of the "Low Cost Furniture Design" competition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, where it won second place. Today, the Plastic Chairs have become classics that have become an integral part of private homes and public spaces. At the time of their creation, the designer chairs were a real novelty. The idea of a one-piece seat shell moulded to fit the body was innovative. "The most of the best to the greatest number of people for the least" - Charles & Ray Eames absolutely lived up to this claim with the Plastic Chairs.
The result was the first mass-produced, affordable plastic chairs with an outstanding design. With the Plastic Chairs, Charles & Ray Eames revolutionised the history of furniture in the 1950s. After the war years, society in Europe and the USA was in a state of upheaval. This also had an impact on furnishings and lifestyle. With the DAW and the other Plastic Chairs, Charles & Ray Eames made their contribution to liberating the living space from the prevailing control.
Iconic
Eames Lounge Chair
High-quality workmanship, unrivalled comfort - the Eames Lounge Chair with Ottoman from Vitra is a classic of modern design. The elegant armchair is manufactured according to the original design by Ray and Charles Eames and can be customised.
Versatile
Eames Plastic Chairs
Who doesn't know it? The Eames Plastic Side Chair from the pen of Charles and Ray Eames. We offer the iconic shell chair from Vitra in different versions, as a side or armchair and in many great colours.
Curved
Panton Chair
From a single mould: the Panton Chair from Vitra. To this day, Verner Panton's plastic chair is one of the most famous designs in the history of design. The flexible cantilever chair offers a high level of comfort and is available in many different colours.
Timeless and durable designer furniture
The Swiss family business, based in Birsfelden near Basel, has been in existence since 1950. As one of the most important manufacturers of designer furniture for the home and office, Vitra operates production facilities all over the world.
Vitra's aim is to create design objects that are timeless and long-lasting. In other words, objects that can be passed down from generation to generation without losing any of their charm or quality. To achieve this ambitious goal, the company works with internationally renowned designers. In addition, each product is characterised by the most careful selection of materials and precision craftsmanship, as this is the only way for a piece of furniture to truly stand the test of time. The designs by Ray and Charles Eames and the many other design originals in the Vitra range are the best examples of this.
Collaboration with designers
Vitra is always trying to break new ground. In the company philosophy, the designers are therefore referred to as authors. During the collaboration, they enjoy a great deal of freedom when experimenting with shapes and materials.
Vitra offers them a creative breeding ground and competent knowledge for their development. The result is innovative products that inspire both today and tomorrow. This understanding of art and production processes can be felt in every piece of furniture or home accessory.
The history of Vitra
If you want to understand where Vitra's success story began, you have to travel back in time. It all began in the early 1950s, when founder Willi Fehlbaum happened to see a chair in a shop window on a trip to New York and was captivated by its shape. Inspired by his discovery, the Swiss shopfitter decided to work as a furniture manufacturer from then on. He learnt that Charles and Ray Eames were responsible for the chair design and got to know the American design couple.
What today sounds like a fateful coincidence was the spark that ignited Vitra's development into a modern furniture company. Not only did a close friendship develop between the Fehlbaums and the Eames - with the acquisition of the licences in 1957, Ray and Charles' revolutionary furniture came to Europe for the first time. An enormous success: their designs, above all the Eames Lounge Chair and the Eames Plastic Chairs, are still among the classics of modern design today. At the same time, the range was expanded to include iconic designs by George Nelson, Alexander Girard and Isamu Noguchi.
Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein
Since this launch, Vitra has opened its doors to the world's design pioneers. Willi Fehlbaum's courage was once again in demand when he supported the Danish designer Verner Panton in developing a cantilever chair made of moulded plastic. the Panton Chair was released in 1967 and immediately became a top seller. In the years that followed, Willis' son Rolf took over the management of the company and many other fruitful collaborations with well-known designers followed, including Antonio Cittero, Alberto Meda, Maarten van Severen, Jasper Morrison, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Hella Jongerius and Konstantin Grcic.
In the 1980s, the Vitra Campus was opened in Weil am Rhein, Germany, to honour Vitra's legacy. Since then, many international architects and designers have immortalised themselves there. And because standing still does not suit Vitra, the range has been continuously expanded, enlarged, carefully developed and modernised to this day - entirely in the spirit of Willi Fehlbaum. Today, his granddaughter Nora Fehlbaum is CEO of Vitra, one of the most popular designer furniture brands in the world.
The VitraHaus
The concept of the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein on the Swiss-German border is unique. The site is home to many interesting buildings by prominent architects, which were built there one after the other and are among the milestones of modern architectural history.
After the British architect Nicholas Grimshaw designed a factory building for the site in the early 1980s, he was originally supposed to realise further buildings. However, in 1984 Rolf Fehlbaum met the deconstructivist architect Frank Gehry and the idea had to give way to a new concept: In future, many different styles were to come together on the site. The result was a snapshot in time of architecture, design and art that is still of global significance today.
More recently, the VitraHaus designed by Herzog & de Meuron was added, which is a kind of flagship store and visitor centre with product installations, consultation rooms, a café and design shop. The Swiss architecture firm is also responsible for the Vitra Schaudepot, which was completed in 2016 and houses a permanent exhibition and other collections. Carsten Höller's Vitra Slide Tower is a viewing tower with a slide that offers a fantastic view of the Vitra Campus.
