01
THE BUSINESS OF EXTREMIS interview Jan Henderson
02
D
irk Wynants is an unusual designer. As the ‘big boss’ of Extremis, the Belgian furniture company, he has designed some interesting products, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I first meet him at the opening of State of Design in Melbourne where earlier in the afternoon he has helped assemble his Kosmos seating product for the Design: Made Flanders stand. He’s plainly hands-on, and meeting and talking to him about his business and philosophy shows the man is also a thinker – not esoteric, but one who speaks his mind in plain language and with a good deal of common sense. Having started Extremis in 2004 he has come a long way, now employing some 25 staff and proffering a diversity of products that are exported worldwide. Then there are the awards, not just for design, but for his management prowess – he runs a tight ship and has the success to prove his methods work. Jan Henderson: How did you get started in the business of design? Dirk Wynants: I was the eldest of four brothers and I was expected to work in my father’s furniture business; he made traditional furniture. At the age of 14 I worked after school helping with the joinery and then the business side of things, invoicing and dealing with clients. After some years I realised this was not where I wanted to be and left to start my own business. First, I decided to work in other companies to get as much experience as possible, not to go for the money, but really for the experience, so I chose jobs that could help me learn the things I needed to make a business of my own successful. The last thing I did before starting my business was to work in the distribution of design, because that is a large part of design and it was fortunate that I did because otherwise I would have made many, many mistakes. I worked as an agent for several companies and witnessed product launches, how to market products, calculations on prices, sales strategies, things like that. And I didn’t only see good things, but I also saw a lot of things done badly, which was very beneficial. So this has shaped your business philosophy and the way you administer Extremis now? Yes, I really thought it was important to learn all the other things, beside design. I personally see that as a designer, design is not art;
03
01.
02.
03.
The latest product in the Kosmos range, the Kosmos Oris gives a modern makeover to the ordinary lecturn and pulpit.
Donuts was designed in 2004 and received a Reddot award in 2005.
The Bronco range feature stools incorp integrated fo for extra com
design is the opposite of art, somehow, because artists don’t h accept any limits at any level. As a designer, you have to acce limits of functionality, ecology and economics on all these lev our world. So we are the opposite of art; that is my strong be as a designer, then you have to be interested in all these differ as well. What I see is that people are not interested in the com side – commercial seems to be something dirty somehow. It i the thing we do, however, and if we make furniture that is no that is a bad design. It might be an interesting art piece, but good design when people buy it.
How did Extremis begin? At 30 I was successful working in a metal business that I had b but it wasn’t what I really wanted to do, which was to design m furniture. I didn’t see any examples of Belgian furniture compan design that were successful. There were big Italian companies m another sofa, another table and chair. I would never be able to c with what was already in the market, and therefore I chose anot and that was outdoor furniture. In ’94 on a design level, there w in the market. There was nothing on the market because there w market. That was also the problem. But still, I had my first des Gargantua table. It was also a sort of strategy in the sense that t not a range; it’s one piece, one size, one finish – the perfect thin a business with. In the beginning the design companies and sho visited said, “It is very nice, we love it, but we don’t do outdoor And the garden furniture companies I went to said, “It’s too mo us.” So there was no market, there was no distribution. So stepI ended up launching the product myself.
Where are your markets? Are you well-received at home in B We sold internationally immediately. I think my third invoice w outside of Belgium. I still remember one of the first fairs in Bel people approached me and said, “It’s nice, where does it come fr it come from Italy?” We said, “No, it’s from Belgium, here.” It’ lot since then, but in those days, if it was not from Italy then pe trust it. The local market was not an advantage.
04.
05.
The Gargantua table was the first product designed by Dirk Wynants.
PicNik is a portable table and chair that can be used both indoors and outdoors.
04
So you made a conscious decision from the word go to export because that was the only way to survive. And the impetus then built up, and your name and product became recognised? I was always very active in giving people the opportunity to discover my designs by going to international fairs. Of course, while I was working as an agent years before I had made many contacts, which came in very handy. So I built a certain strategy; it’s not a coincidence. Also there is strategy in all my designs, nothing is a coincidence. Every detail has been thought of. We give the impression in our catalogues that everything is fun and it is, but at the same time, it’s really serious and really professional. 05
There is a certain whimsy about your products, a sense of humour, and your designs are very much geared to the lifestyles in countries like Australia, Asia and North America. How do you find these markets? The US was our most important market until last year. It is a difficult market, but it’s a huge market, so it becomes important quite easily; however, I think this year will be a little different. So where do you see your new expansion? Unlike many other companies, we are still growing, which is exceptional for a furniture company. Our expansion is in two directions: first of all, the new product we launched this year, Kosmos, is the first product that has taken off commercially immediately. All the others have taken at least two or three years before they became successful, but Kosmos was an instant success. And this year we had the best fair ever in Milan. Second, we are doing a lot of work in the eastern European countries. I understand that you manufacture where you source your materials. How do you coordinate production? We don’t manufacture ourselves anymore, because our company grew a little bit too fast to follow that, and I wanted to be free to work with any material that I want to work with. Also, because we are seasonal, I cannot have production that stops and have the risk that there is no work for my staff. We never order finished products; we only order components that are shipped over to us. Before it leaves to go to our customers, it has already been in our hands to ensure quality control. If you want tropical wood, then you have to allow these people to work on that wood as much as possible, so that they have work as well. That brings me to the word sustainability; however, it appears to me that sustainability is just a matter of course within your business. Sustainability is now the new fashion word, and everybody is trying to show that they are sustainable. We don’t have to show that because it’s really in our DNA. First of all, we design things that are not designed by other companies. That is sustainable because who needs another chair that looks the same? Second, we try to have designs that have a long life span, both structurally and aesthetically. Our first products, designed in ’92 [and] on the market since ’94, are still growing in sales
today. And then, of course, you have the sustainability in the you use as well. Another important factor for me is transport I don’t need to transport by air. Our pieces are always incredi to pack because they are designed that way.
Your furniture promotes interaction – barbecues in the bac a group sitting around a table at a dinner party. Which co the furniture or the party? I always design my products for myself, to please me, and the lucky there are other people who like the things the way I do garden is really a laboratory: I do something, I make a protot put it there, invite some friends and see what happens. The in between people that are using that furniture is what is impor an evening when everyone has had a good time together, I th the thing we have to value the most nowadays. The furniture just the tool that you need to do it with and, if you can have beautiful design, of course you will do that. (inside) Extremis products are available at Corporate Culture.