Salone del Mobile 2015

Make it chp…?
a chp…? jewelry and Make it LEO collaboration
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Two things have been important for us at chp…? jewelry since our founding in the nineties:
the people we work with and innovation. Jewelry designers, product designers, architects,
fashion designers, graphic designers: we have invited anyone we thought was interesting in
their field to try their hand at jewelry. Innovation came to us through these designers – their
outlook on the themes we gave them, their unconventional ideas about jewelry itself, about
wearing jewelry, about what jewelry actually could be, as well as the new techniques they
used and the new materials that came with those techniques.
This year’s project, Make it chp…?, is the first to work the other way around: we handed the
innovation to the designers and challenged them to take the next step, using it in their
jewelry. The innovation is (a patent pending) software service called Make it LEO and the
designers are Minale Maeda. The project is a chp…? project just the same – but with a twist.
The outcome of the project won’t be seen in our shop. It is not a product as such. You will
only see what you will get when you order. You, as a person, where you are when you order
and what the circumstances are at your location will determine what product you will get.
An orchid – that is the only thing you will know, but not the real deal and not even a look-alike. You will get the data to 3D print* your orchid, that’s what you get.
But there is more, as Make it LEO is no ordinary software. Make it LEO stands for Make it
Limited Edition Object – the designer determines, through Make it LEO, what can happen
with the data; how many times he allows you to print from one file, how large an edition is,
if you are allowed to scale the object or not – and this brings us back to what is important to
chp…?: Designers. With Make it LEO they are in control of their designs, they decide, they
call the shots. Innovation and designers, designers and innovation - a golden combination,
as far as we are concerned.
Curious about what your orchid would look like? We thought so…
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* go to www.makeitleo.com/app/#/makeitchp to 3D print your orchid data file. Provider 3D printing charges apply.
chp…?
Chp…? was established as Chi ha paura…? in 1996 by Gijs Bakker. The brand invites both
well-established designers and upcoming talents from any discipline to participate in
themed projects, showing that jewelry design evolves just like any other design discipline
and that a good piece of jewelry is more than a decorative accessory. The originality of the
concept is central to the design and has to be supported by a fitting choice of material and
technology. The preciousness of the idea is more important than the material value of the
object. www.chpjewelry.com or follow us on Facebook.
About Minale Maeda
Studio Minale-Maeda was founded by Design Academy Eindhoven master graduates Kuniko
Maeda (JP) and Mario Minale (I) in 2006 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Their work lies at the
fault lines of the multiple, seemingly opposite, realities of a globalized, post-industrial world,
like local and global, craftsmanship and technology, one-off and mass production,
appearance and substance utilitarian and eclectic, real and virtual. Their approach towards
their projects is characterized by extensive research, meticulous attention to detail and
materials and the intercultural perspective granted by their background. Their work is
featured in international publications, exhibitions, galleries and museum collections.
www.minale-maeda.com
About Make it LEO
Make it LEO’s service wraps 3D printable digital designs so that designers and design brands
feel comfortable selling or sharing them. Make it LEO preserves the design’s integrity when
it is printed and lets the designer control the quantity of items that can be printed from
each digital design wrapper. Design brands that use Make it LEO and sell digital files save on
logistics and shipping costs and can allow designers to include a wide variety of designs
without the large upfront investment that physical inventory requires. Check us out at
www.makeitleo.com or follow us on Pinterest, twitter, Facebook, or Linkedin.
© Images/animation: Sylvain Georget