Anyone that’s familiar with Smile Plastics will know that, after relocating from London in 2015, we’ve been quite a shy brand. We’ve let our materials do the talking. But thanks to the world reopening and two showrooms in London and Manchester, we’re keen to get out and about, to meet our clients, peers, and collaborators face-to-face. Because in their very nature, our products are transparent. They wear their hearts on their surface. And as a team, we’re the same.
So, post-pandemic, and hot on the heels of the Surface Design Show, we’ve jumped at the chance to showcase our collections and collaborative efforts, globally, in real-life, once again. Here’s where you can catch an eyeful of Smile in the coming months…
LIGANOVA is dedicated to transforming commercial spaces into ‘phygital’ experiences. Fusing online and offline, its physical spaces perfectly marry up with a digital offering to drive holistic brand campaigns.
We first teamed up with LIGANOVA last year to work on a collection of Smile accessories. This year, the opportunity arose to provide materials for collaboration between LIGANOVA and Mercedes Benz: Studio Odeonsplatz, which we, of course, leapt at.
Our Dapple material in Black and Coral have been used to create a beautiful bookshelf, plinths, and versatile furniture items to support all manner of activity in the Studio space. With the needs of the contemporary user firmly in mind, the relaxed environment supports co-working, collaboration, and quiet contemplation alike.
Harewood Biennial: Smile x ACAD
Yorkshire’s stunning Harewood House opened its doors last week for the second edition of the Harewood Biennial, Radical Acts: Why Craft Matters. Through a range of installations, the exhibition explores Harewood’s own roots and its future, as the Trust continues to assess what makes a historic house and its landscape relevant in the 21st century.
Collaborating once again with ACAD, the design duo we teamed up with for last year’s Paris Design Week, we are exhibiting alongside a stellar line-up, including Mac Collins, Sebastian Cox, Fernando Laposse, Ilse Crawford & Nanimarquina, and Community Clothing, to name but a few.
Taking the bench concept that was launched in Paris, ACAD designers Adrien Cugulliere and Arthur Didier have reimagined the piece for Harewood. Using Smile material, the seating has been designed to allow for even more reconfigurations this time around.
This means its appearance and format will change periodically until the end of August when the show closes.
We’re also extremely proud to say that this collaborative project has been shortlisted for the Ro Plastic Prize – stay tuned for the announcement of the winners, and we’ll hopefully see you at Milan Design Week in June.
Clerkenwell Design Week: Smile x Another Country
After meeting Paul de Zwart, founder of Another Country, at last year’s Planted, a creative chord was struck. Another Country creates stunning heritage furniture pieces celebrating natural materials. But, to fully embody their sustainability mission, they expressed a need to include recycled materials in their product range.
In this, we saw an opportunity to move outside of our usual remit – being renowned for reimagining 'waste' and predominantly working with plastic to make exceptionally designed surfaces.
The collaboration signifies a pivotal marker for both businesses, with a new range of furniture products launching at Clerkenwell Design Week, championing the beauty, and versatility, of natural and man-made materials, equally.
See the collaborative collection in The Crypt at CDW 22
Following this snapshot of our upcoming event activity will be more details posted across our social channels – give us a follow here. We can’t wait to share the results of these exciting collaborations with you.