A short introduction – who’s behind the FOLDS brand and what is it that you do?

We’re Anja and Nikolaj, students at UL – Faculty of architecture. In addition to our formal education in architecture, we have always shared a passion for other forms of creative disciplines, such as design, art, visual communications, etc. To this end, the FOLDS brand was created, under which we manufacture durable, high-quality furniture products made of metals and metal alloys.

Where did the idea for FOLDS come from? 

The idea for FOLDS appeared somewhere around the beginning of our creative experiments. A few years ago, we got the opportunity to work with a company that deals with metal processing. At the workshop and standard procedures presentation, we were mainly interested in the two most commonly used – laser cutting and bending. That was when the idea for the FOLDS product line came up, made exclusively using these two manufacturing techniques.

Where do you get your inspiration from? How would you describe the aesthetics and concept of the brand?

Work is a creative process that goes beyond just “sitting at the table.” Inspiration, consciously or subconsciously, comes from everywhere – be it movies, literature, architecture, or completely random things from our everyday lives. The inspiration for FOLDS also comes from more technological areas. Our finished products highly depend on technical manufacturing capabilities. The aesthetic or concept of a brand is not clearly defined but remains open and changes through projects. The basic principles of product appearance are derived strictly from the manufacturing process and are therefore very refined or minimalist. Still, we want to refresh the raw production look with a combination of materials, finishes, or colors.

Why did you decide on steel? Do you plan to use any other materials in the future?

We don’t use just steel, but various metals and metal alloys: iron, stainless steel, spring steel, aluminum, and copper and brass products are also in production. These materials are very durable and, at the same time, appreciative in terms of reuse. Namely, metals are the only material that does not lose its quality class during repeated recycling, and from this point of view, they are eternal. With the development of the brand, we allow the possibility of using other materials, but for now, we still have a lot of unrealized ideas from metals that we want to produce.

How is the product made – from the idea, the concept to the final product?

The creative process is one thing, and the execution is something else entirely. It always starts with a sketch and continues with physical models and 3D models. We always make ideas in real size from cardboard because it’s only then that we can experience them. Prototyping in actual metal versions follows scale models. The final product has never been the same as planned as production is a world with its laws. The products you see on our website or in showrooms are therefore always a compromise between design ideals and production constraints.

Did you encounter any obstacles during the process and how did you overcome them? What would you describe as the most difficult part of making a product or just establishing a brand? 

Things never happen without a hitch. We come across obstacles at every turn as we have tackled an area that, until recently, we only knew about in theory. The materialization of ideas is a fluctuating process that can drag on and take more than a whole year. With each successful project, however, the amount of knowledge is upgraded, and with that, we expect fewer problems next time. Even branding is a process that never ends. Each brand operates according to its values and principles. Each brand has its way of communicating those to the world in one way or another. For us, FOLDS goes beyond just furniture products. It’s about the idea, process, sustainability, quality, experimentation, and perhaps even lifestyle.

And what would you say is your favorite part of making a product, and what in building a brand (so far)? Did you have any ‘breakthrough’ moments, any turning points?

A favorite part of making the product is definitely the production process when we experiment with possibilities. It is there that creative methods of innovation are shown, which are satisfying not only for us designers but also those involved in the production. The turning point for us was most likely the invitations to international design events, such as Milan Design Week or 3daysofdesign Copenhagen. Participation in such physical or virtual events has allowed us greater exposure and thus opened up new possibilities.

What are your plans and goals for the development of your brand in the future?

At the moment we are mostly developing the products ourselves. In the future, we want FOLDS to become a wider community, establishing new ways of cooperation between young creatives and local industries. Currently, the intersection of these two worlds is very poorly tested in practice, but we believe that it has a lot of mutual potentials. Young creatives always need production capacity to develop their ideas, and local industries need creative power to help diversify their products or production processes. We are already working on networking capabilities and will soon reveal the first line of such collaboration.

You can find FOLDS online at www.folds.eu or follow them on Instagram @folds_mag or Facebook @FOLDS.

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SLO:

Če se na kratko predstavita – kdo stoji za znamko FOLDS in kaj počneta?

Sva Anja in Nikolaj, študenta Fakultete za arhitekturo. Poleg formalne arhitekturne izobrazbe sva od nekdaj delila strast tudi do drugih oblik kreativnih disciplin kot so oblikovanje, umetnost, vizualne komunikacije itd. S tem namenom je nastala blagovna znamka FOLDS, pod katero izdelujeva trajne, visoko kakovostne pohištvene izdelke iz kovin in kovinskih zlitin.

Kako se je vse skupaj začelo, od kje ideja za FOLDS? 

Ideja za FOLDS se je pojavila nekje na začetku najinih ustvarjalnih poizkusov. Pred nekaj leti sva dobila priložnost sodelovanja s podjetjem, ki se ukvarja s predelavo kovin. Ob predstavitvi delavnice in standardnih postopkov, sta naju zanimala predvsem dva, ki sta bila najpogosteje uporabljena – laserski razrez in krivljenje. Takrat se je pojavila ideja za linijo izdelkov FOLDS, ki so narejeni izključno po teh dveh proizvodnih tehnikah.

Iz kje črpata navdih? Kako bi opisala estetiko in koncept znamke?

Delo je kreativni proces, ki ne traja samo takrat, ko ‘sedimo za mizo’. Navdih zavedno ali nezavedno prihaja od povsod – gre bodisi za filme, literaturo, arhitekturo ali povsem naključne stvari iz vsakdana. Navdih za FOLDS pa izhaja tudi iz bolj tehnoloških področij, saj so izdelki zelo pogojeni s tehničnimi zmožnostmi izdelave. Estetika ali koncept znamke nista jasno določena, ampak sta odprta in se skozi projekte spreminjata. Osnovna načela videza izdelkov izhajajo strogo iz procesa izdelave in so zato zelo izčiščena ali minimalistična. Še vedno pa s kombinacijo materialov, obdelav ali barv želiva surovi proizvodni videz osvežiti.

Zakaj sta se odločila za jeklo? Nameravata v prihodnosti uporabiti še kakšne druge materiale?

Pravzaprav ne uporabljava samo jekla ampak različne kovine in kovinske zlitine: železo, nerjaveče jeklo, vzmetno jeklo, aluminij, v izdelavi pa so tudi izdelki iz bakra in medenine. Našteti materiali so izredno trpežni, hkrati pa tudi izredno hvaležni iz vidika ponovne uporabe. Kovine so namreč edini material, ki jim ob ponavljajoči reciklaži ne pada kakovostni razred, ter so iz tega vidika večne. Z razvojem blagovne znamke dopuščava možnost uporabe tudi drugih materialov, vendar nama zaenkrat ostaja še veliko nerealiziranih idej iz kovin.

Kako poteka sama izdelava produkta – od ideje, koncepta pa do končnega izdelka?

Kreativni proces je eno, izvedba pa nekaj povsem drugega. Vedno se vse začne pri skici, nadaljuje pa v maketah in 3D modelih. Ideje vedno izdelava tudi v realni velikosti iz lepenk, saj jih šele takrat lahko zares doživimo. Maketam sledi prototipiranje v dejanskih kovinskih različicah. Končni izdelek ni bil še nikoli isti kot načrtovani, saj v proizvodnji obstaja svet povsem svojih zakonitosti. Izdelki, ki jih vidite na naši spletni strani ali v salonih so zato vedno kompromis oblikovanja in proizvodne smiselnosti.

Sta tekom procesa naletela na kakšne ovire? Kaj bi morda označila kot najtežji del izdelave produkta ali pa kar vzpostavljanja znamke? Kako sta jih premostila?

Brez težav ne gre nikoli! Nanje naletiva na vsakem koraku, saj sva se lotila področja, ki sva ga do nedavnega poznala zgolj v teoriji. Materializacija idej je nihajoč proces, ki se lahko zavleče in traja tudi več kot celo leto. Z vsakim uspešnim projektom se količina znanja nadgradi, s tem pa se pričakuje manj težav naslednjič. Tudi vzpostavljanje blagovne znamke je proces, ki se nikoli ne konča. Vsaka blagovna znamka deluje po svojih vrednotah in načelih, ki jih tako ali drugače komunicira s svetom. FOLDS za naju presega zgolj pohištvene izdelke. Gre za idejo, proces, trajnost, kvaliteto, eksperiment in morda celo življenjski slog.

In kaj bi (do sedaj) označila kot vajin najljubši del pri izdelavi produkta, in kaj pri vzpostavljanju branda? Sta imela kakšen ‘breakthrough’ trenutek, bi izpostavila kakšno prelomnico?

Definitvno je najljubši del pri izdelavi produkta prav proizvodni proces, ko eksperimentiramo z možnostmi. Prav tam se kažejo ustvarjalne metode inoviranja, ki zadovoljstva ne dajejo samo nam oblikovalcem ampak tudi tistim, ki se ukvarjajo s proizvodnjo. Prelomnico za nas so najverjetneje predstavljala povabila na mednarodne oblikovalske dogodke kot so Milano Design Week ali 3daysofdesgin Copenhagen. Udeležba na tovrstnih fizičnih ali virtualnih dogodkih, nam je omogočila večjo izpostavljenost in s tem odprla nove možnosti.

Kakšni so vajini načrti in cilji za razvoj blagovne znamke v prihodnosti?

Izdelke v tem trenutku večinoma razvijava sama. V prihodnosti, si želiva namreč da bi FOLDS postala širša skupnost, ki bi vzpostavljala nove načine sodelovanja med mladimi kreativci in lokalnimi industrijami. Trenutno je stičišče teh dveh svetov v praksi zelo slabo preizkušeno ampak meniva, da ima veliko obojestranskega potenciala. Mladi kreativci vedno potrebujejo proizvodne kapaciteta za razvoj svojih idej, lokalne industrije pa potrebujejo kreativno moč, ki bo pomagala diverzificirati njihove produkte ali proizvodne procese. Z zmožnostmi povezovanja se že ukvarjava, kmalu pa bova razkrila tudi prvo linijo takšnega sodelovanja.

FOLDS lahko najdete na spletu www.folds.eu ali pa jim sledite na Instagram profilu @folds_mag ali Facebook strani FOLDS.