Why this German industrial designer loves coming to Asia
Sebastian Herkner, who made his name with the upside-down side table called Bell, talks about his career-defining moment, working with Stella McCartney and his trips to Asia
Is it true that, as a designer, you have suffered for your art? “Yes. The first 10 years after graduation were tough. My studio was a corner of my 70-square-metre flat in Offenbach [near Frankfurt, Germany]. Eventually, I had enough money to open a studio, and now I have the opportunity to travel the world. My first trip outside of Europe took me to Shanghai, and I now come to Asia several times a year. I like the traditional craftsmanship you can still find in Asia: in Europe, craftsmanship is being lost.”
Have you had any career-defining moments? “I was always creative but I didn’t know you could do industrial design as a profession. Germans were more about cars than furniture. As a teenager visiting the Designmuseum, in Copenhagen, with my parents and seeing classic Danish lamps and chairs was the ‘click’ moment for me.”
What did you learn from interning with Stella McCartney? “Design is interdisciplinary – I work with graphic design, architects, interiors – and I wanted to know more about fashion. That experience is one of the reasons I’m so into mixing materials and colours. When I sketch something, colour is part of the design from the beginning. Not every colour works with every material, so it is important to me that they fit.”