Iittala - Alvar Aalto
Alvar Aalto simplified design elements to create a design that allows for various uses. The Aalto Collection made waves in 1937 when first presented at the Paris world exhibition. The mysterious form made a strong statement against industrial production failing to meet human needs. Today it is an icon of a design movement.
Alvar Aalto's first sketches for the vases were playfully called "Eskimo woman's leather trousers". Nature played a great role in Alvar Aalto's life and creativity. The undulating forms of the objects in the Aalto collection are like the Finnish landscape with its thousands of lakes - beautiful, alive and untamed. Glassblowers at the Iittala factory still meticulously handcraft the legendary vases that are variations on one theme, fluid organic shapes that let the end user decide the use. Interpretations of the shape in new colours and materials add to the growing Alvar Aalto Collection and remain true to his original design idea.