The last project signed by Virgil Abloh, fashion designer but above all a visionary of contemporary culture (with a master’s degree in Architecture), is a collaboration with Cassina: Modular Imagination, a project rooted within the creative process of play, an open invitation to take part in the configuration of space and the construction of new worlds.
Modular Imagination is composed of two different-sized, matt-black building blocks that can be combined to create, adapt and rebuild space based on the necessities of both public and domestic settings. Sort of like Minecraft, but real. And surprisingly soft.
Modular Imagination by Cassina, Design Virgil Abloh – Photo © Luca Merli
A pouf, a bench, a table, articulated compositions can be created by stacking two pieces at a time thanks to a specific connecting module that allows its contrasting orange cylindrical feet to slot into the top of the below unit.
Modular Imagination is not a limited drop but attests the quality of Abloh’s work within the design world. He was in fact particularly proud of this project that began development in 2020 and was completed before his premature passing.
Modular Imagination by Cassina, Design Virgil Abloh – Photo © Valentina Sommariva
Thanks to the work carried out by Cassina LAB, the components of Modular Imagination can be easily separated at the end of the product’s life cycle. A dashed line, situated under its feet, indicates where the soft polyurethane upholstery (which contains a percentage of polyols deriving from biological sources), can be cut away from its recycled wooden core to facilitate the recovery and recycling of its elements.
Cassina presents Modular Imagination at its flagship store in Milan, in a distinctive installation characterised by the colour orange (which for Abloh has been a kind of color-symbol). The installation is open to the public both during Milan Design Week and Men’s Fashion Week and the collection will be available in Cassina stores, on-line marketplaces and in the most renowned fashion and design concept stores throughout the world from this autumn.
