Limited Edition Available Only During the Event

Arflex Japan has chosen textile designer Masaru Suzuki, marking his first collaboration with a furniture brand, to convey the joy and potential of "furniture and textile design."

The "MARENCO" sofa, with its simple design that blends into the user's lifestyle, serves as a canvas, accentuating Suzuki's designs characterized by bold compositions and vibrant colors.

The "MARENCO × Masaru Suzuki" exhibition will feature not only the 1- to 3-seater "DANCE" sofa introduced here, but also original fabric models specially created for this event: "PARK" and "BALLOON." The exhibition will also include and offer for limited sale cushion covers and covers for the "RINN" chair.

The Interplay of Modern and Cute Design

Regarding this project, Masaru Suzuki commented, "Although I have always worked in interior textiles, for some reason, upholstery has never been part of my career. To suddenly be designing covers for Arflex's masterpiece sofa, MARENCO, felt like facing a Yokozuna on my debut match on the sumo ring – an unexpected development."

He continued, "When I visited the Arflex showroom for our first meeting, a sharp, sophisticated modernism dominated the space. I wondered if my, shall we say, 'yappy' designs could fit into such a cool environment. At the same time, my heart raced with anticipation for how my, in a sense, 'cute' (?) designs would unfold in an area I had never experienced before."

The MARENCO sofas, enveloped in three types of textiles created with different techniques, will present a completely different appearance from the cool MARENCO you know. Patterns and colors that defy categorization will drift through the space, stirring emotions, uplifting spirits, and transforming everyday life and surroundings into a new reality through ineffable sensations.
We invite you all to witness the moment when modern and cute designs intertwine, and the sofa itself, the environment, is dramatically transformed by textiles."

SPECIAL EXHIBITION 2014
"MARENCO × Masaru Suzuki"
Dates | October 23 (Thu) – November 4 (Tue) *Closed October 29 (Wed)
Hours | 11:00 – 19:00
October 28 (Tue) 18:00 – 21:00 Reception (Open to the public)
Venue | Arflex Tokyo Shop
1-1-40 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Ebisu Prime Square 1F
Tel. 03-3486-8899
http://www.arflex.co.jp/

Masaru SUZUKI
Textile designer. After graduating from Tama Art University's Department of Dyeing and Weaving Design, he worked at Hiroshi Awatsuji Design Office. He became independent in 1995 and established Unpiatt Co., Ltd. in 2002. Since 2005, he has been leading the fabric brand "OTTAIPNU." In addition to his own brand, he has designed for Finland's long-established brand "marimekko" since 2010, and is currently involved in projects for various domestic and international manufacturers and brands. He is an associate professor at Tokyo Zokei University and a director at Unpiatt Co., Ltd.