It’s taken almost nine years of collaboration, but finally Raf Simons and Kvadrat are entering the world of lifestyle accessories in tandem to create simplistic beauty from order.
Titled “The Shaker System” – which launched online today – is a collaborative concept built for the modern home with the intention of resetting how we live.
Comprising a storage system and a range of accessories that both celebrate and epitomize utility, functionality, and rethinking materiality, “The Shaker System” is undeniably for a home of today.
Based around the power of one (one system, one color, one textile), the concept was inspired by Simons’ time in the United States and his thorough understanding and appreciation of historic Shaker culture.
“I’ve moved a lot, from Europe to America and back, always having to organize myself in a new home,” he explained. “There are all these trends telling you how you should cope but I never found the right system, the clever beautiful one. So this really came from a personal need.”
Its build is simple, although its finish is anything but: a horizontal bar made of powder-coated aluminum, on which any of the accessories can be hung.
The system arrives in one of four colors – off-white, pink, green and black – and is upheld by a Vidar 4, the emblematic fabric of the entire collection.
Simons also drew ingenuity from sculptor John McCracken, whose minimalist works inspired the color intensity of each variation, as well as the sleek surface finish.
“Originally the idea was to think about a whole house, room by room, not literally, but more a way of thinking – how do we actually live,” continued Simons.
“We didn’t approach it from an aesthetic point of view, it was about function and needs and we really put ourselves into the skins of the users.”
In total, the Shaker system comprises 26 items available in 4 colorways, including everything from leather accessory boxes, tray mirrors, sleeves, lambswool pieces, and even a magazine strap, which is handy, especially if you're living a life more contemporary than the actual Shakers.
