PROFILES

She was almost a maths teacher, she became a designer; between the two, at 17 she launched a recycled clothing collection. One day a friend said: “Design me an object.“ OK, she replied, with the firm intention of creating something involving fabric, random in shape and inspired by nature. That was the genesis of the Livingstones that propelled this young Niçois-by-adoption to the forefront of the French design scene. An idea inspired by the Riviera’s capital where she lives and works: cushions in the form of pebbles. They were such a success that she turned the concept into fully-fledged seating; to date, upwards of 100,000 “pebbles“ have sold, from Paris through London and New York to Tokyo. Today Stéphanie Marin is so well-known she is one of those designers “lucky enough to be able to do what I want.“ Free? Yes, and likely to pop up where she isn’t expected! She amuses herself. With Play Yet she conceived an entertaining construction kit that lets children (and parents) build fun, useful furniture – shelving, den, table etc. – out of a variety of cork and wood elements. Her Sifflu is a cute little “peace pipe“ that helps you relearn how to breathe properly, an idea that started as a joke reaction to the now-ubiquitous e-cigarette. Marin also does set designs (Directors Fortnight at Cannes) and fits out bars and rest areas (Maison&Objet, Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Etienne). A workaholic? Yes, but not in the sense of frantically producing stuff, more like a desire to provide the best answer possible for the user and contribute to their wellbeing. An approach again encapsulated in her Schaise seating collection launching in January 2018, which employs a special new system of elasticated fabric strapping to encourage a new way of sitting that induces a healthy posture. Charlotte Perriand said: “Objects aren’t the subject of design, people are.” It’s comforting to see that some creatives haven’t lost sight of that.

Par Alexandre Benoist

Photo Jean-Michel Sordello