ABOVE, THE SOON-TO-BE-
RELEASED ‘VIPP451’ CHAIR.
SEEN IN LEATHER, IT WILL
ALSO BE AVAILABLE
UPHOLSTERED IN FABRIC
LEFT, THE LATEST ADDITION
TO VIPP’S LIGHTING
COLLECTION IS THIS BLACK
‘VIPP530’ TABLE LAMP,
£239, WHICH FEATURES
THE BRAND’S TRADEMARK
PERFORATED SHADE FOR
SOFT LIGHT DIFFUSIONpedal bin (she designed Vipp’s second product, the
toilet brush) and expanding the Denmark-based
distribution to build a global network of retailers,
starting with The Conran Shop in the UK and
Williams-Sonoma in the US. She keeps an open mind as
to where the company is going – so long as it produces
at exceptional quality. ‘My father instilled it in me,’
she says. ‘Whatever we make, it is never a “quick ix”.’
Jette hired Vipp’s irst chief designer,
Morten Bo Jensen, who has now overseen product
expansion for 12 years. He prefers to think of his designs
as ‘tools for everyday life’, noting that each one has the
same sense of craftsmanship and attention to material.
‘It’s been my big passion to see if we can put a huge
part of Holger into every single new item, in order
to establish Vipp as a brand, not least internationally,’
he says. ‘We’re now trying to compete in the sport
of design with all the other great brands we see out
there. The pedal bin is not enough.’
Yet it is the bin that continues to inform the brand,
not only in its intelligent design but also its sturdy
construction. It is not unheard of for Vipp bins to
last half a century and, unusually for such a humble
object, spare parts are available for purchase. ‘It’s our
responsibility to the world, or at least to our end
consumers, that when we ask them to pay a signiicant
amount of money for a product, they have the beneit
of keeping it for many, many years.’
Which is why Vipp will not overhaul its furniture
range every year, as some brands do in an efort to
provide PR-able launches at international design fairs.
Certainly, further furniture typologies are on the
drawing board. Gesturing to the living area of the Vipp
Loft, which has two contemporary sofas alongside
chairs by Poul Kjærholm and Flemming Lassen, Kasper
says: ‘When you look around, it’s easy to say, “That’s
nice, but it’s not Vipp. Why don’t we make it?”’ And
there will be incremental improvements to existing
pieces, says Jensen, but the designs are here to stay.
And so are Vipp’s owners, who are happy to keep
it a family business at a time when conglomerates are
snapping up Danish design brands – in the past year
alone, Muuto was acquired by Knoll, Gubi by private
equity irm Axcel, and Hay sold a stake to Herman
Miller. Speaking from the New York showroom, Jette’s
daughter Soie (the company’s concept director, a
graphic designer by training who created the current
logo) says: ‘We do it out of love for our product.
We have done a lot of unusual development and been
carried along by opportunity and passion and great
ideas, not necessarily following an obvious path.
I’m not sure what lies ahead, but if it’s like the last
couple of years, it’s going to be very exciting.’ ∂
Vipp’s new furniture collection will be available
from February 2019, vipp.com Retouching: Anne Marie Jo∑
Design
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