Marcel Wanders

Marcel Wanders talks about the creative process, his “czarina,” and the pleasures of guilty pleasures—using his thumbs.

JOB DESCRIPTION: I am Marcel Wanders. I am designer of the new age. I am a dreamer. I am a jester.
CURRENT PROJECTS: We are working on hotels in Las Vegas, New York, Bonn, Dubai, Amsterdam, and—hopefully soon—Toronto and Budapest. We are designing products for about 40 different international clients. We are developing a 215,000-square-foot piece of real estate in Amsterdam and writing a book on the creative history of the city. We are art directing Moooi and preparing a large exhibition of our personal editions.

FIRST STEP ON A PROJECT: We identify why/whether the project is important and has to be done and why/whether we should do it.
LAST STEP ON A PROJECT: Projects never stop.

HOW DO YOU BREAK A CREATIVE BLOCK? You surpass it by going under or over—under through digging deeper, or over by reaching higher. Breaking a block would be silly. Only people who appreciate the true importance of challenge will use it to their benefit—without friction, no gloss.
WHY DO YOU DO WHAT YOU DO? Spiders make webs, birds make nests, Marcel Wanders designs.

EDUCATION: A good student always learns.
MENTOR: Achille Castiglioni, because he gave identity to the “untouchable lightness.”

WORLD-SAVING MISSION: I am here to create an environment of love, live with passion, and make my most exciting dreams come true.
FIRST ACT AS “DESIGN CZAR”: Find a czarina
DREAM TEAM: www.marcelwanders.nl/wanders/pages/us-people.shtml

OFFICE CHAIR: Vitra T chair
OFFICE SOUND TRACK: Every Friday at five we play the theme of Rocky.
MOST USEFUL TOOL: My brain
BEST PLACE TO THINK: In my hearth

SOMETHING OLD: My beautiful mother
SOMETHING NEW: My daughter, Joy

GUILTY PLEASURE: Feeling guilty over something which I would still call pleasure today is a waste of time and an insult to my predictable future behavior.
UNDERRATED: The Easter Bunny
OVERRATED: Function is highly overrated.

LEARNED THE HARD WAY: Walking
COMMAND-Z (undo): Death fear
DREAM JOB: I have it!

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