Lapala by Expormim
The 25th birthday of a golden design
We live in a world that is obsessed with modernity and originality. We are so focused on discovering something new or inventing something that hasn’t been done before, that we often forget that innovation doesn’t only come from the avant-garde. In that search for pioneering, we dismiss what has been done in the past and how much we can take from it. Using it as inspiration instead of crossing it out of the list is, in a way, the purest form of innovation. And combining tradition and reimagination in the true key to success,
The Lapala chair is the demonstration that the past can be and is, in fact, the present. When a design is so adaptable, so timeless and so sensual, why should one abandon it? This year marks the 25th anniversary since the Lapala chair was born, the first braided chair. Created in 1998 by Manel Molina at the Lievore Altherr Molina studio and reconceived by Expormim in 2015 for outdoors with the help of Manel in his studio now the brand has decided to reimagine it once again, this time for the interior.
The outdoors version of the Lapala chair was made out of nautical rope and stainless steel. This year, in commemoration of its 25th birthday, Expormim has reissued the original version woven in natural pith, this time optimizing the metal structure that defines the ergonomics and the shape of the chair shell for the use of natural pith in the weaving process. With this review of the initial conception, Expormim demonstrates once again its core purpose of combining tradition and innovation through the utmost conservation of craftsmanship.
This artisanship is proven by the technique used for each Lapala chair. Eight hours are required to weave the shell with natural rattan. Expormim’s loyalty to artistry and hand-in-hand production is probably the reason why the Manel Molina’s chair is so in line with the brand. With such a tangible artisanal perspective, only a brand of the profile of Expormim could dare to take on a design with such a complex production.
Like Manel himself puts it, Expormim’s decision was and still is successful, since it is demonstrated that the handmade component of a design contributes to humanize it, making it intimate and sustainable. Three attributes that the market takes into account. In a way, Lapala came to Expormim organically, fitting together so perfectly that it succeeds in every version of it at blending naturally into contemporary spaces, maintaining its traditional character and authenticity.
This year’s edition of the design has been awarded the German Design Award. Not only for its smooth curves, but also for its stackability, which guarantees adaptability to any environment.
Sobriety, lightness and versatility seem to be three necessary characteristics for furniture designs. However, even though they are relevant attributes, Manel is quick when pointing at the most important ones: utility and necessity. The design needs to fulfill a use, always taking timelessness into account. When reminiscing on how the design came about 25 years ago, Manel manifests that the material and the use indicated how the design had to be.
The pith inspired a design that is essential. And this essentialism, far from being tied to trends or fashion, is based on respecting the handcrafted manufacturing process and adapting it to the different materials and versions that make up its offer. A proximate, human, intimate, polyvalent and comfortable design that decades later continues to hold a significant prestige in the world of interior design.
Expormim’s success at making craftsmanship and tradition palpable in their products is also the reason why it has such a wide reach. Born in Moixent (Valencia, Spain), this year the brand celebrates the 10-year mark of its presence in the US. Expormim’s values of tradition and artistry are unique in an international market eager of products that transcend the commercial purpose, prioritizing ethics, sustainability, craftsmanship and timelessness. And the Lapala chair is one of the most loyal representations of this mentality.
