It is no secret that what we see on the runway ultimately adorns our homes and personal spaces in one way or another. This year however, there is a strong shift among fashion brands to establish a unique identity for their home brands. They are doing so by investing innovation that underscores the brand’s unique DNA. Be it creative research to the left of the centre, a regard for materiality in product design that echoes their commitment in the fashion industry or partnering with pioneers in other industries at the cutting-edge of high-tech — runway to home is not as straight forward as it once was and I am glad for that.

Karl Lagerfeld

Fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld is yet again shifting gears in the design world. The creative director of Chanel and Fendi presented his first exhibition of sculptural works at Carpenters Workshop Gallery in Paris past octover. Called ‘Architectures’, the collection encompasses tables, fountains, mirrors and other marble objects, designed in collaboration with architect Asmar d’Amman.

Drawing from Greek architecture and the golden ratio — which fosters organic and natural looking compositions, the German creative re-defined antiquity from his perspective: beauty, culture and modernity. These elements inspired the monochromatic collection carved from carefully sourced white Arabescato Fantastico marble, decorated with grey veins or the milky white veined black Spanish marble Nero Marquina.

Used in a way that highlights the natural beauty of the material, the objects resemble the decorative columns of classical architecture.

Louis Vuitton

Adding to their existing travel-inspired furniture and lighting collection Objets Nomads, Louis Vuitton launched their first collection of decorative leather home accessories with designers Humberto & Fernando Campana, Atelier Oï, Patricia Urquiola and Marcel Wanders.

Presented in Milan earlier this year at the 19th Century Palazzo Bocconi, the pieces were showcased in a breathtaking atmosphere of pink balloons covering an entire ceiling to grand hallways decorated with hundreds of paper flowers and dark corridors lit up with glowing lamps.

The petite objects in the collection include the Tropicalist vase crafted by Humberto and Fernando Campana to Atelier Oï’s origami flowers and Rosace vase featuring bicoloured leather among works by others such as Dutch designer Marcel Wanders’ octagonal Diamond Mirror mounted on silvery brass, and Patricia Urquiola’s handmade overlay bowls made of smooth overlapping sheets of coloured leather.

Andre Fu’s the ‘conversation’ chair also made its debut and a series of artworks inspired by vintage travel posters featuring the designers were shown. A more accessible way, Les Petits Nomades carries on the spirit of Louis Vuitton.

Hermes

Bringing their signature combination of rich heritage and exquisite craftsmanship to their renewed passion for product design, French Maison Hermes presents a bold colour statement through their new collection of home objects and furnishings that have become distinctly architectural over the years.

Presenting a perfectly subtle balance of practicality and fantasy, 15,000 softly coloured zellige tiles created the backdrop to their new accessories, textiles and wallpaper collection. The seven pavilions at Salone del Mobile exhibited tangram-inspired lacquered boxes to table accessories made of robust bridle leather that paid homage to Hermes’s equestrian heritage and nature-inspired tableware collection.

With a mission to produce products of the highest quality, Hermes pays no mind to fleeting trends and market demands, and instead, moves at its own pace, producing objects that people love to own, not for their price tag but for their timeless beauty.

Studio Layer & Kite

On the other side of the spectrum, product designers are venturing into the world of fashion and accessories, using their way with innovative production tech to push boundaries of what we wear.

Benjamin Hubert’s design studio Layer collaborated with London-based eyewear label Kite to produce KiteONE — a range of 3D printed eyewear that will fit the exact measurements of your face.

The Kite stores are fitted out with 3D scanners that record the various measurements of the customers face such as the distance between pupils, nose width, etc and is then visualised in the KiteONE app which was designed by Layer, allowing a live fitting of the glasses. The detailed file is sent off to Kite’s local supplier to be 3D printed and is then assembled in store by a Kite stylist.

The range is based on a classic frame style customised in different styles and is made from 3D printed nylon material.