FRAG 2023 COLLECTION

Images courtesy of Frag

Oscar and Gabriele Buratti, Werner Aisslinger, Dainelli Studio and Steve Leung

A new approach to the home by Frag. Contrasting volumes and materials, vibrant hues, sophisticated combinations and supreme comfort form the core of the 2023 Frag collection. Continuing its exploration of leather and hide, it offers products in the classic mould redefined according to the dictates of contemporary living, enhanced this year by a fresh and lightweight touch of colour.

At the Salone del Mobile 2023, Frag, a byword for excellence in leather and hide furniture, is unveiling a collective production entrusted to a stable of leading Italian and international designers. This takes a multiplicity of forms, through projects that each interpret and convey the brand’s style in their own way, paying tribute to its past while remaining firmly grounded in the present. New projects are to be unveiled, including collaborations with Oscar and Gabriele Buratti, Werner Aisslinger, Dainelli Studio and Steve Leung. These fresh voices take up the mantle of innovation in table and chair design – a core strength of the brand since its inception – while also pursuing new horizons that complete the domestic design landscape, with new product categories making their debut in the Frag catalogue. The 2023 collection enhances Frag’s offering in home design while at the same time dovetailing perfectly with contract projects.

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Frag will be displaying its vision of the home, in a flowing sequence of living and dining spaces accompanied by proposals for the sleeping area. The stand design has this year once more been placed in the inspired hands of Ferruccio Laviani, who has brought the brand’s spirit to life by demonstrating the versatility of the Frag collection, elevating the pursuit of craftsmanship and research of material and form.

The stand is designed as a fluid space whose sections are separated by lightweight partitions made from wood and braided coloured rope, offering the visitor an unobstructed view between the different spaces. With no set itinerary, the visitor is free to experience these sophisticated home settings which also suggest interesting possibilities for contract use. The new Frag pieces integrate seamlessly with pieces from the catalogue, demonstrating the company’s wide variety of products, with the aim of offering the client a comprehensive range of furniture.

Frag is also participating in Fuorisalone at its Milan showroom, which provides the backdrop for the new collection of products for the second year running. In a space of over 300 square metres, designed by Matteo Meraldi of the lualdi meraldi studio, the Frag lifestyle is depicted in a series of continuous and fluid exhibition spaces. The showroom is housed in the Mo.1950 concept store, on the ground floor of a historic building in the heart of the Sant’Ambrogio quarter. During the Fuorisalone events it will be hosting some of the new pieces from the collection in a new-look display.

Introducing the new collection is a project that carries Oscar and Gabriele Buratti’s signature, with the duo reviving last year’s successful collaboration that highlights Frag’s wealth of experience in working with leather and hide.

Frag presents Syren, an armchair poised between cushioned softness and deft gracefulness. An all-metal tubular frame supports the wide leather band that wraps around and envelops the chair. Supreme comfort comes from a single voluminous cushion structure with a dominant visual presence. The back and armrests are soft, mobile cushions that adjust to the body to provide a sense of unparalleled comfort. The metal frame offers a contrast with its light weight and subtle profiles. Syren is defined by a modern minimalism that draws inspiration from the past, revealing its character in details and finishes. The metal frame painted in black, graceful yet solid, supports the leather strip and cradles the seat cushion, backrests and armrests, available in all the catalogue leathers and fabrics. All of this makes Syren the ideal choice for carefully considered residential interiors.

The Siloe family, also designed by Oscar and Gabriele Buratti, made its debut at the Salone del Mobile 2022, and this year has been expanded in terms of both variations and pieces. Siloe was conceived as a family of seats, chairs and armchairs, consisting of a soft seat supported by a tubular steel frame, with an understated, harmonious design. This year, the range is joined by a new variation with an ash wood frame, with a bolder, cleaner look, and a new piece, the Siloe stool.

The entire family features a soft seat supported by a frame whose legs meet in a cross design. The backrest is attached to the seat and extends beyond it with ironic curvature, as if to protect it. The legs of the armchair extend to provide support for the unique armrests, padded in the metal version, whose curved design seems to almost embrace the sitter. The stool, made only with a wood frame, is available in two heights and also features a footrest with brushed stainless steel inserts. Siloe can be upholstered in any of the catalogue leathers or fabrics, making it the ideal seat for both domestic interiors and contract use.

This collaboration with Oscar and Gabriele Buratti has also produced Myon, a range of tables and coffee tables featuring simplicity of construction and a strongly geometric form. The graceful power of its design presents slim circular surfaces which contrast with the solid and imposing cylindrical bases. The dining tables, in pleasing generous sizes, feature a structural symmetry between top and base. Available with an oval or round top, each in two sizes, they are a natural focus for friends and family. The round table consists of a substantial central cylindrical base supporting a top of 160 or 180 cm, while the oval top, of 240 or 280 cm, is supported by a double cylindrical base.

The coffee tables have an off-centre base and are available in various sizes and heights, making Myon ideal for use in front of or at the side of the sofa. The entire range comes in a glossy lacquered finish and a vibrant colour palette of daffodil yellow, Chinese red and silk grey, offering a dynamic, playful and contemporary feel.

Renewing the collaboration with Dainelli Studio, Frag presents the Caruso chaise longue, offering the perfect balance of geometric purity and comfort. The design combines a slim, rigid shell upholstered in leather, folded to contain the cushion and headrest, with a distinctive tubular steel frame. Painted matte black, it is slender and asymmetrical, almost invisible. Caruso is modelled on the natural lines of the body and is designed to offer everyday relaxation. This classic piece with highly contemporary lines and proportions makes a modern and sophisticated addition to the Frag range. The mattress and headrest can be upholstered with any of the catalogue leathers and fabrics, making Caruso the perfect piece for relaxing, which will seamlessly blend with any setting in the home.

Making its debut in the Frag catalogue is a piece designed by internationally renowned Chinese architect and designer Steve Leung, whose design work draws inspiration from Asian art and culture. The result of this new collaboration is Aria, a chair that combines practicality and functionality with the supreme elegance of materials such as steel and leather.  Discreet yet with distinctive style, Aria consists of a steel frame painted matte black which supports a slim, curved shell entirely upholstered in leather. The gentle curves of the frame follow the shape of the seat, offering an uncluttered aesthetic and giving an extremely light feel to the whole chair.

Its design presents a strong visual harmony in the continuity between seat and backrest combined with the delicate lines of the frame, creating a sculptured yet fluid look. A delicate and harmonious piece, practical and stackable, it is an ideal option for contract use, gracefully suited to both public and private settings.

The last of the new products for 2023 is a design which adds to the Ocean armchair designed by Werner Aisslinger. Presented at the Salone Del Mobile 2022, this year it also features a footrest.  Ocean is a lounge armchair of strong spirit, and as a hybrid of classicism and modernity, it coexists happily with a wide range of styles. Its design evokes the rounded forms of the iconic chairs of the ‘60s and ‘70s. While the chair’s rigid moulded shell contains and protects, the soft and generously sized ergonomic cushions relax and enfold. For the ultimate in comfort, the armchair now comes with a footrest whose design echoes the soft and inviting forms of the chair. Both elements are supported by a central coated-steel swivel base in dark bronze, which can be customised with a RAL colour on request.

The 2023 collection sees Frag continuing to chart their own course in creating an ever-expanding range of furniture. The aim is not only to meet the needs of an international market in constant flux, but also to represent the company’s vision of contemporary living through a focus on attention to detail and high quality materials, a hallmark of the brand for over 100 years.