Formica® laminate has been transported out of its usual interior environment and onto the catwalk of London Fashion Week by design duo Basso and Brooke. Renowned for their original vibrant prints and dramatic cut, the duo also revels in pushing the boundaries of design technology. Working with the world renowned milliner Stephen Jones, Basso and Brooke have created imaginative head-pieces from multi-layered laser cut Formica laminate for their 2007 London Fashion Week show, held on 17th September 2007.
Reflecting in their show a brave new utopian world full of sharp geometric patterns and bold colours, inspiration was drawn from the work of late 20th century Italian designer Ettore Sottsass and American artist Peter Halley, amongst others. With a powerful positive and optimistic vibe the show featured nine hats made entirely of Formica laminate, mixing this iconic material with outfits in softer fabrics.
“We’ve been fascinated with the properties and scope provided by Formica laminate and have been looking at ways to incorporate it within our work for a while,” enthused Chris Brooke of Basso and Brooke. “With Sottsass’s connection to the material and the incredible colour range offered by Formica® it was an obvious extension for us this year. The hats create an amazing effect and are definitely a talking point.”
Laminate from the company’s specification range ‘The Collection’ was chosen, including a vast array of Plain Colours in both the matt Velour and textured MicroDot finishes, as well as Ebony, Smoked Oak and Maple Woodline from the Naturelle Woodgrains range. Four of the hats was on display at Formica Limited’s 100% Design stand E90.
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