janvonborstel. is a versatile concept and design studio based in Hamburg and London. It’s growing international reputation is based on their commercial commissions and beautiful products. Under the creative direction of Jan von Borstel, who has been trained at the Royal College of Art in London, they combine their love for material, form, function and quality as well as for unique and exclusive concepts and approaches. janvonborstel. has an international clientele and works mainly from Hamburg, London and Barcelona. They have recently completed the overall creative direction of the global roll out Prada Beauty relaunch 2004, which incorporated architecture and in-store design, as well as packaging and product design. His work ranges from in-house creative direction for global brands such as Prada to product direction for companies like Zara, Mango and Proctor & Gamble. They have been commissioned by luxury brands such as Lacoste and Mont Blanc and has worked on architectural projects, landscape architecture and retail design for Georgina Goodman, Prada, Volkswagen and B&B Italia. Von Borstel's strength lies in his method in which he explores and exploits the possibilities and boundaries of material, form and industrial processes, which he applies to numerous design disciplines. His work encompasses a wide range of products and projects ranging from perfume bottles, and in-store design to accessories and furniture. Harnessing traditional craft techniques for his design, combined with a meticulous attention to detail and production processes guaranties that all his work, whether it is a unique one-off or produced in the thousands is of finest quality. All his products exhibit beauty and simplicity, which stems from von Borstel’s obsession with material in which he turns the intrinsic quality of metal, wood, porcelain or leather into a practical functionality. Playing with contrasting materials such as textiles and glass; PVC and canvas, or steel and leather, von Borstel’s products reveal a surprising sensuality. Typical of his working method is his porcelain and felt teacup, which combines simple and graceful functionality with tactile pleasure. As a contemporary designer, Jan von Borstel borrows concepts and forms from modernism but subverts and reinterprets them, often injecting a level of humour that was absent from the modernist movement.
