Japan Benex and designer WAKA WAKA jointly unveiled the Ribbon Collection. The collection of products, including chairs and hangers made from 5mm aluminium sheet, presents new forms of expression in sheet metal and was showcased in Harajuku.
The Ribbon Collection, a collaboration by Japan Benex and Los Angeles design studio WAKA WAKA, was unveiled at a launch event in Harajuku, Tokyo. The collection is positioned as the latest work from Project EETAL, which explores new forms of industrial products through cross-industry collaboration between woodworking and sheet-metal fabrication.
The collection's designs are based on a “ribbon” motif, emphasising a playful quality and graphical lines while making use of the strength and thinness of sheet-metal materials. The furniture includes WAKA WAKA's signature Cylinder Back chair, with the original 18mm plywood replaced by 5mm aluminium sheet.
For mass production, Japan Benex is using its integrated production system to handle everything in-house, from design and sheet-metal processing through welding, painting, assembly and inspection. After repeated hand-built prototyping and more than several hundred improvements, the company established a process for converting the designs into numerical data.
The new designs also incorporate the idea of turning the characteristics of metal to advantage, using lines and lightness to express qualities such as softness and warmth. The project is also intended to address Japan Benex's talent-retention challenges as a company headquartered in Nagasaki, while contributing to the transfer of craftspeople's skills and the development of the next generation of skilled workers.