Vladimir Kagan Design Group Enters New Chapter with Original Designs by Chris Eitel
HOLLY HUNT Will Debut the Forward Collection at Design Miami/
November 2022 | Premier luxury design brand HOLLY HUNT is excited to introduce six new designs to its iconic Vladimir Kagan portfolio. Designed by Chris Eitel – Kagan’s long-time apprentice and protégé, now Director of Design and Production for the Vladimir Kagan Design Group – the aptly-named Forward Collection represents a momentous step in the evolution of the brand. Launching at HOLLY HUNT during Design Miami/ and rolling out to other HOLLY HUNT showrooms in Spring 2023, this entirely new collection presents a series of pieces that embody Kagan’s design ethos while introducing new concepts that enhance and complement the existing portfolio.
Following Kagan’s passing in 2016, Eitel shepherded the brand through a series of contemporary reintroductions of Vladimir Kagan’s most iconic designs, breathing new life into timeless pieces that had been out of production for decades. The Forward Collection – the first of Eitel’s own designs – is a natural extension of this effort, marking a new chapter for the Vladimir Kagan Design Group. The range includes a sofa, two loveseats, a bench, a stool and a coffee table, all unified by their expert use of sculptural forms, negative space, organic shapes and cantilevered engineering in true Kagan fashion.
“Vladi was a prolific creator, even at the age of 88. He always embraced new materials and shapes and anticipated what was coming next, which taught me to be forward-thinking,” says Eitel. “The Forward Collection is my way of honoring and building upon Vladi’s legacy of iconic curved silhouettes, growing the portfolio in the way I know he would have hoped to do himself.”
“Having worked so closely with Kagan for many years, Chris has a deep and unique understanding of the Vladimir Kagan brand,” says Jo Annah Kornak, SVP and Executive Creative Director of HOLLY HUNT. “Each piece in the Forward Collection demonstrates his fluency in Kagan’s design philosophies and DNA while steering the design language in new, innovative directions.”
The Forward Collection comprises:
Big Picture Sofa
A contemporary design that pushes the boundaries of iconic Kagan details, the double-crescent form is deceptive at first glance. While seemingly nested, the seat cantilevers from the back in a true feat of engineering. It is balanced by the zaftig outer crescent back set on a slim, low-profile walnut plinth.
Bienenstock Coffee Table
The Bienenstock Coffee Table is a clear nod to the Omnibus Collection and its signature Lucite bases, which became a defining material for Kagan throughout the 60s and 70s. Eitel incorporated a built-in decorative storage box that appears to float in the center of the table, featuring a high-gloss lacquered finish and lined with the customer’s own choice of fabric or leather.
Sculpted Saddle Seat Stool
This contemporary stool with hand-carved walnut legs and a supportive fabric or leather seat mimics the ergonomic shape of a Western or English riding saddle and embraces the sculptural nature of classic Kagan designs. It is available in a bar and counter-height version.
Sculpted Wood Bench
Subtle stitching creates a channeled seat that is both practical and aesthetically pleasing, resting on a sculpted wooden frame with modern flying buttress legs.
Sculpted Wood Loveseat – Closed Back and Open Back
Reminiscent of Kagan’s limited-edition Annecy Sofa (2016), Eitel’s designs feature a dramatic whiplash curve in stacked walnut that fully embraces a kidney-shaped seat.
Timed around the launch of the Forward Collection, Pointed Leaf Press will issue a third edition of Vladimir Kagan: A Lifetime of Avant-Garde Design – a chronicle of the late designer’s rise to international recognition as one of America’s most celebrated designers. A new Afterword by Chris Eitel offers an intimate look at the designer and the man through first-hand accounts, serving as a frame of reference for the brand’s evolution by examining the design language Kagan established for over half a century through the eyes of his greatest apprentice. The book is available through the Pointed Leaf Press distribution network.
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