From Milan: Q&A with Marcel Wanders

Where did you fly in from?

Amsterdam. That’s where we’re based.

How many years have you been coming here?

The first year I was in Milano was 1985, but I was in school back then.

What has changed in the last year?

I’m not disappointed for the amount of people who are here today. We have a lot of new projects. The most important thing for us is that we decided we didn't want to show prototypes, but rather, products that were ready for the market. So for us that is a huge step—finally after 9 years we get professional. While we have quite a few pieces, we have maybe a few less than any other year, but we hired some more people on the product development side. If people want to have something, they should be able to get it.

Anything particular you excited by?

I am very happy with my little children’s chair. It just got finished about a week ago, so I am excited to see it.

Is there something that drives you crazy about design week?

No, no, no. I’m in the lucky position that I am very busy. So I’m not going to walk around, walk around, walk around. I can imagine that sometimes if you do that, it could get to be a bit much. But I’m busy with my things, and it's kind of a big reunion so I get to see a lot of people. So really it’s great.

Is there anything that you are looking forward to this week?

I look forward to going to the fair with Casper [Vissers], the co-owner of Moooi. We see each other, but it's always kind of operational. But we’re just going to walk around together and take it all in.

What are you doing tonight?

I got the opening of Skitsch, and then to Driade, and then it could be anything. We’ll see.