Metal
maestro
Aluminum craftsman Alex Rasmussen
tells Charlotte Hogarth-Jones why
he’s turning his hand to superyachts
Ò
Thethingis,we’reboatpeople,”
explainsAlexRasmussen,the
presidentofNealFeayStudioin
Santa Barbara, California.
“Yachtingisjustsuchanobvious
spaceforustogointo.”
Tocallhimadesignerseemssomethingofa
misnomer,forRasmussenisconsideredbythose
intheknowasthemasterofaluminum.He
collaborateswithApple’sJonyIveandMarc
Newsononaregularbasis–together,they
createdaone-offaluminumdeskthatsoldfor
$1.7millionatSotheby’sinNewYorkin2013,
andmostrecentlyNealFeayhashelpedNewson
realizeanaluminumsurfboard.Thestudiohas
alsomadeone-offcommissionsforeveryone
fromHermèsthroughtoLouisVuitton,while
TheWave,Rasmussen’sinteractiveinstallationat
theLondonDesignFestivalin2015,earnedhim
aplaceinInstagramhistoryasmen,womenand
childrenrushedtoslidedownanirresistible,
tessellated,brightbluecurve.
Now,he’screptupontheyachtingworldtoo.
Hisfirstprojectwasaspiralstaircase,aluminum
wall,drybarandportholesfortherefitofthe
165ftFeadshipBroadwaterbyAdamVoorhees,
completedin2017.“IcametoyachtinglatebutPORTRAIT BenHarries121