Distinct Expressionist

4 July 2010,

With his avant-garde attitude and a sketchbook in one hand, Jaime Hayon has been taking the design world by storm and shows no signs of slowing down. Function is not an afterthought but he is driven by the desire to make functional objects beautiful.

At only 36, and already with a couple of major design awards under his belt, you can find Jaime Hayon in his Barcelona studio which is scattered with magazines, both cult and mainstream that features him on the cover. In the shots, he is sometimes dressed as a clown and at other times a sheep. For Jaime, he has never been one to conform to the standards of being “cool” set by cultures that are mere copy-cats of other cultures, instead one can say that Jaime’s just made out like that. Distinctly different.

He joined Fabrica in 1997, the Benetton-funded design and communication academy, working closely with the legendary image-maker and agitator Oliverio Toscani. Eight years later, Jaime broke out on his own, first with collections of designer toys, ceramics and furniture, followed by interior design and installation. His singular vision was first fully exposed in ‘Mediterranean Digital Baroque’ at London’s David Gill Gallery, an exciting mise en scène, largely executed in ceramic, followed by ‘Mon Cirque’, which traveled to Frankfurt, Barcelona, Paris and Kuala Lumpur. These collections put Jaime at the forefront a new wave of creators that blurred the lines between art, decoration and design and a renaissance in finely-crafted, intricate objects within the context of contemporary design culture.

Adding to his acclaimed intramurals for Madrid’s La Terraza del Casino restaurant and Camper footwear stores, Jaime is currently working on interiors for leading hotels, restaurants and retail establishments around the world. Jaime currently resides in London, with offices in Barcelona and Treviso (Italy). His work has appeared in the most prestigious art and design publications worldwide. He has won numerous awards including ‘Best Installation’ (Icon Magazine), ‘Breakthrough Creator’ (Wallpaper Magazine) and the 2006 Elle Deco International Award. In 2008, Jaime was guest of honor at Belgium’s Interieur Biennial, the youngest person ever to receive the accolade.

“Young designers should just be themselves, don’t copy off anybody else. Every person is unique, if they look at themselves and believe in themselves, then they will make great work.”

INFO
HAYONSTUDIO LTD.
Hayon Studio UK
59 Frith Street
W1D3JJ London
United Kingdom

WEBSITE
www.hayonstudio.com