Ingrid Bredholt has a background in fashion and industrial design from Marangoni and the Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan and has had her own fashion label since 2013. This is the first time she applies her passion for texture and form to furniture.

Where does your desire to create come from?

IB: Initially it’s like an urge. It’s nothing I control really. It’s there all the time, very present and acting like a primary need. I have tried to travel for longer periods without having any creative doings; it’s impossible. After two weeks my fingers itch and my head aches. New ideas continuously occur... But I am very grateful for it, it’s nice to feel the drive.

Lately this urge has turned into a more conscious need to be part of our development. What does the future hold for us? I want to be part of finding new and better solutions to sustainability and to our needs. What if we are capable of contributing to, and experiencing, the change on the Earth?

Ultimately, I want to inspire people, inspire others and feel inspired myself. That’s the best feeling.

Looking at your work, and also this collection of work in particular, it seems to encompass a sense of rebellion, an urge to disrupt, while still paying tribute to and honoring what has been. Is this something you recognize?

IB: Hahaha, yes probably. I have deep respect for education and craftsmanship. Still, I do believe that we can be too set in certain ways of seeing things. It’s always refreshing when things are stirred up. And if it doesn’t disturb you a little, it’s not really interesting…

Tell us about your first encounter with a Varier chair and your motivation to embark on this project.

IB: I grew up with Peter Opsvik’s Variable and Ekstrem by Terje Ekstrøm. Like many Norwegians I believe, I have a nostalgic relationship to these chairs. I have a very vivid memory of Variable at the homes of family members and my parent’s friends. My mother bought an Ekstrem at Norway Designs in Oslo, when I was a child. I must have been very young since I clearly recall my sister and I climbing through the very narrow center of Ekstrem. We loved that chair! Later on, when my grandfather who was an an architect died, I inherited his Move stool. It has been with me at work ever since.

Then, some years ago I saw the Norwegian art magazine Tableau having a model dressed in my clothing label Mardou&Dean sitting on a kneeling chair; the Variable. I just had to get in touch. The rest you know.

From garments to furniture, dressing people and chairs. Is there a common denominator?

IB: Yes, I think there are some similarities for sure. More often than not, a chair has a body and legs. There are some connections to the “phenomenon” Human Furniture. We often compare furniture to humans, and the other way around. Forming furniture with references to the human shape. I saw in the earlier work of the designers behind the Varier chairs, and many others artists, the tendency to give the chairs feet, hands and faces. I felt this need too, and ended up making matching items instead: like the sneakers for Ekstrem in concrete.

Clothes cannot be disconnected or seen as an individual entity separate from the body, because they are meant to be worn and used, loose-fitting or tailored. This can be found in Varier chairs as well, as the designs are not solely focused on materials, tactile or aesthetic elements, but they are always seen in relation to the body. Has this created any sense of familiarity when working on this collection of chairs?

IB: I think it’s indisputable that the ergonomic qualities in Varier chairs creates a special relationship with the user. Like the Move stool which I miss If I don’t have it with me while working. You get a the sensation that the chair is an extension of yourself. While working on these chairs I have obviously been influenced by fashion, exploring new techniques and materials when dressing the chairs. Like when I used stretch leather specially made for pants, its was such a perfect fit for the leg-like shape of Ekstrem. I think fashion is normally more playful and with more absurd ideas than classic furniture, I hope I’ve managed to transfer some of this to the project.

Have you found any other parallels while working on this project?

IB: Perhaps not a direct parallell, but “fashion furniture” is an interesting topic I think. Solidifying the values of a fashion label using furniture as an extension. It is not new, yet I think the concept is renewed by new designers all the time, and it has been a huge part of this project. I think people have the need to recreate a home feeling based on how they dress. Very often you can guess, based on a persons clothes, what their home looks like. I do feel that the merge of ergonomics, the home - so very relevant now because of COVID - and fashion has been a sought after element in every day life.