FLAGMENTED by CTRLZAK

After their successful CERAMIX project back in 2010, CTRLZAK Studio came up with the HYBRID collection the following year (2011). This year and during the Milan Design Week that takes place from April 17th till 22nd 2012 CTRLZAK Studio continues its’ research on the boundaries between western and eastern culture with a project entitled Flagmented; a series of works which integrate traditional fabrics from two diverse cultures, the European and the Chinese, blending them to form a single textile. Flagmented represents a possible future able to surpass normal cultural borders and expressions. Classical European embroidery and Toile de Jouy are coupled with traditional Chinese fabrics forming unique pieces that stitch together the two diverse realities. The unexpected results mark a new era of globalisation becoming the flags of a new hybrid culture.

FLagmented project will be presented at PADIGLIONEITALIA exhibition (Lambrate area, via Oslavia 1, Milan). During Milan Design Week 2012 you will be able to see some of the studio's selected projects at Fiera Milano Rho (REVERSED + D\ZEN, MONUMENTALE) and at Spazio Rossana Orlandi (HYBRID).

We close with a little story that finally came true. When we visited Milan in 2010 we had the honor to see a part of the CERAMIX project in development and have a discussion with Katia Meneghini among others about spaces that are considered to be the design avant-garde and she proposed us to visit the former tie factory at Via Matteo Bandello 14/16. To say the truth it was an adventure to find Spazio Rossana Orlandi with temperatures being under zero and the whole space surrounded by a block of buildings. Anyway, it was worth-while the effort because we met very interesting people there and an amazing variety of products that reflect the aesthetic opinion of Rossana Orlandi. When we were asked by the Head Officer (we cannot recall her name) "who told you about Spazio Rossana Orlandi", my husband mentioned about two young and talented people (Thanos Zakopoulos and Katia Meneghini) who were established in Milan and created the CTRLZAK studio. The talk moved on new designers and tendencies and at the time we were about to leave he turned to her and said "one day you will have in Rossana Orlandi space, CTRLZAK's products". Today, I or better we, feel vindicated that our instinct about the duo Zakopoulos and Meneghini finally came true...