Page 12 - Designing Ways 302

TRADE WINDS

Outdoor Collection

by Roche Bobois

o mark Milan Design Week 2026,
Roche Bobois unveils its new
Toutdoor collection. Designed for
terraces, gardens, and poolside settings,
it expresses the brand’s boldness, savoir-
faire, and commitment to comfort,
through an elegant and contemporary
vision of outdoor design.

This collection is built around around
two key pillars:
• A full collection by American designer
Stephen Burks, who reunites with
Roche Bobois to create Catalina. This
outdoor collection combines design
and savoir-faire, with particular
attention paid to craftsmanship,
finishes, and a choice of sustainable
and responsibly sourced materials.
• The collaboration with Italian maison
Missoni continues and evolves. It
gives rise to Formentera, a captivating
collection of outdoor seating where
materials, colours, and patterns come
together in a bold and vibrant style.

“At Roche Bobois, we are constantly
striving to broaden our vision of design
by embracing strong and unique creative craft traditions and contemporary Burks is the first African-American
sensibilities. Stephen Burks embodies this production. Firmly convinced that design designer to win the Smithsonian Cooper
approach perfectly - his multicultural should reflect cultural diversity, he develops Hewitt National Design Award in 2015
perspective and the attention he pays projects with craftspeople worldwide, and the only industrial designer to be
to craftsmanship bring a deeply human integrating traditional techniques such awarded the Loeb Fellowship at the
dimension to his creations.” as weaving, basket making and cord Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Éric Amourdedieu, Roche Bobois work, into pieces destined for industrial Burks along with his partner Malika
Group Executive Director. manufacturing. Leiper were recognised with the 2026
Stephen Burks has collaborated with Wallpaper* Design Award for Best Helping
STEPHEN BURKS, DESIGNER numerous international companies, Hands, honouring their collaborative and
One of the most influential designers of including Roche Bobois, who called inclusive approach to design.
his generation, American Stephen Burks upon him as early as 2014 for his first
(born in Chicago in 1969) has developed collaboration with an American designer, “With its soft curves and oversized
a singular practice bridging industrial thus marking an important step in its frames, Catalina offers a new level
design and craft. development in the United States. of sensuous comfort to the Roche
After studying product design at The Stephen Burks’ work has been Bobois outdoor lifestyle. As the first
Illinois Institute of Technology, he then the subject of major exhibitions at collaboration since our groundbreaking
received a Master of Architecture from institutions such as the High Museum of Traveler collection, Catalina was a joy to
Columbia University’s Graduate School of Art in Atlanta, the National Museum of develop. Its strong yet timeless vision had
Architecture, Planning and Preservation African American History and Culture unanimous appeal to the Roche Bobois
in New York. In 1997 he founded his in Washington DC and the Philadelphia design team.”
Brooklyn studio, now known as Stephen Museum of Art. Stephen Burks dw
Burks Man Made. His designs were also presented at the
His work is characterised by a 19th Architecture Biennale in Venice, as
collaborative approach that synthesises part of the 2025 United States Pavilion. www.roche-bobois.com/en

12 Issue 302 • dw