Silhouettes in Dialogue by Curación Collection and UNI FORM

In Silhouettes in Dialogue, Curación Collection and UNI FORM explore texture, transformation and the art of inspired living.

WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Aart Verrips MODEL Bee Diamondhead

A shared belief in inspired living guided the collaboration between local furniture design studio Curación Collection and fashion brand UNI FORM. Unveiled at an exhibition titled Silhouettes in Dialogue, each piece interrogates form and emotional tailoring, inviting viewers to consider the future of design.

Dylan Thomaz of Curación Collection and Luke Radloff of UNI FORM sat down to reveal more about the collaboration.

This collaboration takes two UNI FORM garments and reimagines them as sculptural skins for furniture. What did that transformation feel like in real time?

“The transformation feels SO good! When two worlds collide the way they have, it’s PURE magic,” says Dylan.

“Learning that something on the body translates very differently onto a static object and honouring that, by accepting the nuance and manipulation that needed to be embraced for the final object,” adds Luke.

How do you think people’s perception shifts when they sit on, rather than wear, a piece of design?

“Our intention is for our consumers to feel dressed in UNI FORM without wearing the actual garment,” explains Dylan. “We want our consumers to feel how the pieces whisper to them, to feel the gentleness of how the feathers move, with just a slight breeze or passing movement. Our pieces literally come alive.”

“I think whether wearing or sitting on, the practicality remains the same, so the emotional responses are similar if we’ve done our jobs right,” says Luke.

What is the most unexpected challenge you faced while marrying the language of fabric with the language of wood, form, and comfort?

“The challenge we faced was ensuring that the intention of our partnership was experienced fully, in all spheres,” says Dylan.

Luke adds: “One of the biggest challenges was realising that static objects don’t move like bodies. “But the best realisation was that the objects we created become a soft landing for those same bodies.”

Do you see this project as a one-off experiment or the beginning of an ongoing dialogue between your two disciplines?

“Luke and I believe in sustainability in our partnership. Part of our views on sustainability is creating a well-lived life. We have already done our second collaboration, which will be out in October of this year, speaks to a life well lived,“ says Dylan.

“These first two pieces are just a whisper, a gesture to invite both our communities in and introduce our relationship. The pieces are a welcome, a warm hug,” adds Luke.

Texture plays a starring role here. How did you choose the specific pieces that would make this leap from body to object?

“We chose the pieces and textures that have become an unidentifiable visual language for us and married those with iconic Curación Collection pieces so that the end result is something new, but also familiar for both of our communities,” explains Luke.

Will the pieces be sold?

“All the pieces will be for sale. Our intention is for our consumers to truly embrace a life well lived,“ says Dylan. curacion-collection.co.za | uniformza.com

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