May 2012 • Observed
Mexican Contemporary
The country’s resourceful young talents infuse product design with local culture.
By Mason Currey
PROJECT
Destination: Mexico
MoMA Design Store
www.momastore.org
For the tenth and largest mini-collection in its ongoing Destination series, the MoMA Design Store has turned to Mexico, a country with a vital design scene but major commercial barriers for young talents. “Often, designers in Mexico are working with stores that only purchase on consignment,” says Kathy Thornton-Bias, the president of MoMA’s retail division. “So to make a living, one needs to be very resourceful. Designers are known for repurposing found and recycled materials. They have to be quite scrappy to get things done.” Indeed, many of the 150 or so products in the collection feature unexpected materials and a lively mix of old and new. Here are six of our favorites.
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