Finnish brand Iittala's reinvention aims to build on its founding identity of "experimental, boundary-pushing" design, says its creative director in this interview with Dezeen.
Finnish designer Janni Vepsäläinen, who joined Iittala last year from fashion brand JW Anderson, aims to make sure the brand stays relevant and innovative, something she believes is in its DNA.
"[My] creative vision is built on the founding identity of the brand," she told Dezeen. "I'm really looking into its founding identity, which is this experimental, boundary-pushing, challenging-the-status-quo type of design thinking."
Janni Vepsäläinen is Iittala's creative director
The company was founded in 1881 and is best known for its glassware, which Vepsäläinen remembers from being a child. "We had Iittala glasses in my home and it was the kind of thing that would be passed down generation after generation," she said.
"What inspired me about the brand is that very few brands have that kind of stance in people's lives, it's really part of the journey and closes the generation gap in terms of products travelling from mother to daughter."
The Bölgeblick glassware by Aino Aalto is a classic Iittala design
As an example of the innovative ethos she wants to continue, she mentioned architect Aino Aalto's pressed Bölgeblick glassware for Iittala. Launched in 1932, the pressed glassware has a pattern informed by circles in water.
"If you look at the...