Modular Imagination

In 2020 - a year prior to his untimely death in November of 2021 - the American fashion designer and entrepreneur began to explore with Cassina the implications of modularity, a pivotal theme in contemporary design. Building on the idea that active, playful participation in the arrangement of space by those who live with the furnishings, should correspond to their own needs and habits, Abloh crafted the Modular Imagination project: a base unit, geometric and stand-alone, available in two sizes, for building worlds that are always new and suited to both private and public settings. The deceptively rigid, matte black appearance conceals an unexpected softness that makes the Modular Imagination a seat, as well as a table-top surface. A special connector allows the two pieces to overlap so the orange feet can lock into the top of the underlying block, yielding multiple optional uses – as an ottoman, a bench or a table. While sharing the fundamental values that produced icons of design like the Tabouret stools by Le Corbusier – respect for function, expressivity and simplicity of shape and superior craftsmanship – Modular Imagination is informed by purely contemporary principles like versatility, appropriate to homes of different styles and sizes. Thanks to the work carried out by Cassina LAB, its components can be easily disassembled at the end of its life cycle. A dotted line, located under the feet, indicates the place in which the soft polyurethane, with a percentage of polyols derived from organic sources, can be cut, separating it from the recycled wood structure to facilitate proper recovery and recycling of the elements at the end of their life cycle. Remaining absolutely faithful to the work of Virgil Abloh, Modular Imagination becomes part of the Cassina catalogue as another of the creative’s high-quality contributions to the world of design. The round logo in bas-relief on the faces and the hashtag #AblohCassina seal the union between the company and the great artist, who embodied - through influence, innovation and intuition - the qualities of a master of our times within the international intellectual panorama.