FENDI and african studio MABEO present kompa collection at miami 2021

fendi learns from botswana craft

for design miami 2021, FENDI has invited MABEO, the furniture and accessories brand from botswana, africa, to develop products that build on their ongoing research into craft specializations. consulting with artisans spread across the country, MABEO traveled many miles to inform the project’s collaborative development and bring together the techniques and viewpoints that exist between the various craft activities of botswana.

peter mabeo at FENDI design miami 2021 | shiya seat, loma stool by MABEO studio

studio mabeo’s design methods

following creative meetings in rome with kim jones, silvia venturini fendi, and delfina delettrez fendi, MABEO (see more here) realized a collection of ten pieces of furniture made up of distinct interrelating methods. kompa, the title of the collection, originating from MABEO’s most senior in age craftsperson, means something that is complete, implying an interest in holistic approaches when considering a project. whilst some products in the collection were the sole responsibility of individual artisans, others were conceived in a way that required different craftspeople and techniques to collaborate to realize the structure and functionality of a piece.

FENDI design miami 2021 | kompa collection by MABEO

a merging of styles

moving between one craftsperson and another, both physical and mental distances were covered by MABEO. what might have appeared to be compromises or disagreements in this process helped to shape their results, creating tangible outcomes through objects that inherently and beautifully reflect these moments.

two works in the collection directly reference the collaboration with FENDI (see more here). one, the efo stool, riffs on the iconic double F motif, fusing two distinct materials, clay and panga panga wood, to create a balance between material, technique and craft process. the modular wood and clay sculptures fit intimately into one another while remaining distinctly independent.

a second, the maduo chair, is a direct translation of a piece of o’ lock, jewelry designed by delfina delettrez fendi for the roman house. the basic configuration of the original is respected through geometry and connection solutions, highlighting craft skill in subtle ways that are also practical to the chair’s construction.

gabi-gabi sculpture, foro chair, loma stool, maduo chair by MABEO studio
foro chair, chichira cabinet, efo stool by MABEO studio