Ro results from a close, two-year relationship between the Republic of Fritz Hansen and Jamie Hayon. Fritz Hansen intended the design brief for Jamie Hayon to build a comfortable seat for one person. Jaime Hayon drew a series of sketches with this in mind, which formed the start of the armchair’s shape, voice and subsequent modelling work. It was necessary right from the outset that the chair should provide space within the room. It allows you to escape and immerse yourself while you can choose to stay part of the world.
Ro Chair by Jamie Hayon
The modelling work was carried out as an interface between digital models and actual 1:1 styrofoam models. The physical models were created and digitalized by hand. Thus the digital files formed the basis for the millings, which were minutely made by hand, and the final Ro shape was born after multiple repeats.
The pressure-cast aluminium legs and the transition to the shell followed the same process to create an elegant and natural unit that ensures Ro is beautiful and elegant from all angles. To make the chair more colourful and tactile, a mixture of different textiles was also used in addition to the shell’s form—one for the shell and one for the cushions.
The material is sewn like a dress with just one seam, which precisely follows the edge of the chair. Once the dress has been sewn, it is turned inside out and put on. It is glued onto the shell millimetre by millimetre. Where the chair’s body is narrow, there is excess material, which is extended where the chair is wide. It puts enormous demands on both the product and the upholsterer. It has tested the materials and craftsmanship to the extreme.
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