Aria Journal:
In honour of International Women’s Day 2023, we highlight the work of 5 inspirational designers and entrepreneurs at Aria revolutionising the world of design.
As CEO of Saba since the company was established in 1987, Amelia Pegorin has led the all-female brand to success with a humanistic approach to business and a creative sensibility. Based in Padua, northern Italy, Saba has dedicated its design research to the culture of living for over 30 years.
Saba design tailor-made upholstery collections with the highest quality materials, allowing the client to personalise their choice of sofa or lounge chair with an extensive range of fabrics. Modular designs including the Pixel Collection place versatility at the core, enabling the sofa to shift and change configuration according to the needs of the home.
Originally from Oviedo, Spain, Patricia Urquiola studied architecture and design in Madrid, continuing her studies in Milan. Having founded her multi-disciplinary studio in 2001, Urquiola operates in the fields of industrial design, architecture and art direction. Examples of her work are exhibited in design museums around the world, including the Decorative Arts Museum in Paris and the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein.
The Almendra Suspension Light collection, designed for Flos in 2022, was born from an ambitious project combining sculptural forms with cutting-edge lighting technology. Three unique silhouettes, can be installed individually or suspended together to create a statement lighting installation.
After graduating in product design in 2011 Meike Harde founded her own studio just two years later, going on to develop designs for the some of the world’s most notable furniture brands including Ligne Roset and Bolia.
Meticulous in every aspect of their work the Kohln-based studio combining technical skill with an innovative approach, placing familiar materials in new contexts with an original language of form. Designed by Harde for Bolia in 2020, the Lomi Sofa collection combines a distinctly Scandinavian aesthetic with exceptional comfort.
At the intersection of craft and design, Margo Selby explores the possibilities of weaving, revitalising Britain’s historic textile industry, with innovative new techniques and a sustainable ethos. The studio, based on the North coast of Kent, develops textile collections driven by the investigation of colour and woven by expert craftspeople.
Single widths of fabric are produced in geometric grid patterns, with vibrant interlocking colours of warp and weft threads. In 2021 Margo Selby was awarded the Turner Medal of the Colour Group (GB) for ‘Britain’s Greatest Colourist’, acknowledging her work as an innovative practitioner.
Designer Sophie Home started her company in 2013 from the corner of her living room. Her first collection comprised of just 7 throw designs and 7 cushions. Ten years on, her collections are available all over the world.
Colour and abstract forms provide the core inspiration for their ethically-produced cushions and throws. The company donate 5% of the annual profits to Choose Love, a charity which helps refugees and displaced people in their greatest time of need.
