Iserlohner haken BY DESIGNERS AND ARCHITECTS

HOOKS FROM ISERLOHN BY DESIGNERS AND ARCHITECTSMade in Germany

our new brand | ISERloHNER HAkEN

our new brand “Iserlohner haken“ stands for the contemporary interpretation of the classical hooks.

We invited internationally renowned architects and designers to open up a new perspective for the hook

as a fitment and wall object and shake off its dust as a simple object of utility. Architects and Designers

overhauled form, function, surface and its way of construction and came up with new and yet familiar,

playful and still innovative results. Each and every “Iserlohner Haken“ is to be considered as a compact

architectural statement.

Iserlohn is referred to as the location in Germany, where iron ore and other resources for metal

manufacturing have been excavated and processed, dating back to the start of the 15th century. Today,

Iserlohn is well known for its broad variety of products made from metal just as the manufacturing of

those in line with highest technical standards. Already in 1905, Mr. Hermann Schwerter founded his

company producing high quality fittings and coat racks in the town of Iserlohn. We bring forward new

ideas with “Iserlohner Haken“ offering everybody a new variety of concepts to plan coat racks in pubic

as well as in private spaces.

bolles+wIlson | MUENSTER

BOLLES+WILSON, Muenster To Prof. Julia B. Bolles-Wilson and Peter l. Wilson the shape of a building devolopes with regard to its content program. Creative innovations and convenient necessities are in the center of the concept. They became famous for projects such as the new “luxor-Theatre” in Rotterdam and the master-plan for the township of Falkenried in Hamburg, Germany.

Photo: Thomas Rabsch

www.bolles-wilson.com

Mäanderoriginally Mäander describes a sequence of river windings. like a decorative strip, the hook elements named after those windings follow one another as long as one likes. Every element has a hook on each side. In a row these asymmetric elements build a straight line at the top while it is waved at the bottom.

sauerbruch hutton | BERlIN

Sauerbruch Hutton, Berlin The Architects lousia Hutton and Matthias Sauerbruch plan and build constructions in many countries in Europe. They became famous for buildings which interpret playfully forms, color and sustainability, just like the GSW head administration centre in Berlin and the museum “Brandhorst” in Munich. Sauerbruch Hutton design furnitures and lumi-naires as well.

Photo: Wilfried Dechau

www.sauerbruchhutton.de

up This aluminium hook does not show a visible fixation as it is hidden in its inside. It seems like wall and hook have merged. Its design is elegant and humorous at the same time. “up” is available with or without glass plate.

caraMel | VIENNA

Caramel, Vienna Since the year 2000 the architects Günter katherl, Martin Haller and Ulrich Aspetsberger have been working together under the name of Caramel. They plan and realize construction projects such as science park linz, the information booth for linz as cultural capital 09, as well as extraordinary single family homes and inventive design objects.

www.caramel.at

Inny Inny is a coat rack and wall design rolled in one. The name of the crystalline formed hook means various or distinct. And that’s how it looks, too – especially if many are placed in a group. There are two ele-ments which can be fixed to the wall in two different positions.

Jan kleIhues | BERlIN

Jan Kleihues, Berlin Jan kleihues works as an architect and product designer. The symbioses of these disciplines leads to timeless aesthetic. It is important to find an adequate expression which transcends the necessity. Accordingly the mate-rial selection, the detailing and the manufacture are of high importance.

www.kleihues.com

8erReflecting the principle of the “Moebius-loop“ the interlaced surfaces of the hook form the infinite edge line of the number eight. Its upper end is meant to carry headdress, while a small notch on the lower piece facilitates the hanging of a coat. The “8er-hook“ matches its correspon-dent door handle.

8er WITH DooR SToPIn a version for toilet cabines the „8er“ offers a reliable hold for jackets, coats or bags. The in-serted bumper guarantees protection for both wall and door at the same time.

peter bastIan archItekten bda | MUENSTER

Peter Bastian Architekten BDA, Muenster The architecture office designs and builds high class buildings since 1999. For the Aasee- terrassen in Muenster Peter Bastian won the architecture award of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

www.bastian-architekten.de

1001 Two basic geometrical patterns make up this simple but fancy hook, which is related to its correspondent door opener by Peter Bastian. A column looking upwards is attached to an oblong cuboid. A coat rack bar which is made of Aluminium as well, comple-ments the “1001“.

hullMann-GIMMler | FRANkFURT AM MAIN

Hullmann-Gimmler, Frankfurt am Main Be-ginning of the ‘80s Harald Hullmann became famous with the design group “kunstflug“ (acro-batic flight). Since 1999 he cooperates with Jörg Gimmler. Under the name of Hullmann-Gimmler they develop art concepts for furnitures, carpets, expositions, interior design and public places.

www.hullmann-gimmler.de

ast As a quotation from nature this coat rack hook serves as an inventive eye-catcher. Its authentic shape is realized by a cast taken from a selected European beech branch. In the colors of orange, beige or silver it seems to grow out of the wall.

JonasThis double-sided aluminum hook finished in shades of silver or yellow is fixed on the ceiling instead of the wall. These are fixed with thin strings to a same colored ceiling hook. They nearly seem to levitate. The effect is even more astonishing when hats, coats or scarves are han-ging on the hooks.

reloadedAn update of the traditional coat rack hook. Turning it 45 degrees it transforms into a small wardrobe with two hooks. This new interpre-tation with soft touch surface grants its freshness just as the vivid colors.

proF. steFFen schulZ | MUENSTER

Prof. Steffen Schulz, Muenster Working at the faculty of design at the university of applied science in Muenster Steffen Schulz also performs as product designer and design consultant.

www.steffenschulz-productdesign.com

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nFrom a certain perspective the double hook looks similar to the letter N. Due to its soft touch surface it also looks like an elastic band. The upper end is made of the curved part of a metal band, the lower part is staggered sideways. In this way, hat and coat can hang parallel without hiding one another.

:MlZd | BIEl

:mlzd, Biel A lively discourse be-longs to the working methods of the architecture team of :mldz from Biel, Switzerland. Their most important buil-ding structures are the historical muse-um in the town of Bern, as well as the new anteroom of the Uno-plenary hall in New York.

www.mlzd.ch

osloAn indivdual wardrobe wall can be assembled of these stylized branch modules. The regular branch structure consists of cast material. Their abstract ramification offers a lot of space to hang coats, jackets or accessories.

:MlZd | BIEl

osloAs a hanging alternative the „oslo“ offers a lot of space to hang coats, jackets and accessories.

kIrchhoFF & euwens | MUENSTER

Kirchhoff & Euwens, Muenster To achieve the best possible result both product designers Peter kirchhoff and Eduard Euwens carry on an intensive dialogue. Their customers are Hüppe, Berndes und Wüsthof Dreizackwerk and others.

Peter kirchhoff initiated the project “Iserlohner Haken”.

www.kirchhoff-euwens.de

schattenwurF What looks like a shadow on the wall is just another hook with additional use. It creates an appealing contrast to its front part, which is available in three galvani-zed surfaces.

schattenwurFWhat looks like a shadow on the wall is just another hook with additional use. It creates an appealing con-trast to its front part, which is available five colors – ranging from light ivory to Bordeaux-red.

planet Using these wardrobe knobs walls can be structured graphically. They can be mounted in four ways – distributed or in a line. The base frame is available in grey or white and takes a back seat on light as well as on dark walls.

planetThe buttons made of massiv aluminium are cop-per plated or highly polished. The base is availa-ble in white or gray and it merges with the wall or forms a contrast to the wall color.

Example of use – Delivery including hooks and boards but without covers.

screenA wardrobe system for planners and architects who can design and create their own panel to the dressing room and the architectural concept adapt.

plasMa studIo | loNDoN

Plasma Studio, London Eva Castro Iraola and Holger kehne are founder partners of Plas-ma Studio, since 2002 Ulla Hell supports the management team in South Tyrol. Their constructions look geometric and always futu-ristic. As one of their latest arts, Plasma created the group of buildings for the “Xi’an International Horticultural Expo 2011” in China.

www.plasmastudio.com

FlockThe dynamic and at the same time cohesive structure of bird flocks was the inspiration for flock: a folded steel sheet serves as a coat hook and can be extended piece by piece to a sculptural wall installation, which allows a high contrast between light and shadow.

plasMa studIo | loNDoN

Peter Bastian Architekten BDA

:mlzd Caramel Hullmann-Gimmler

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Plasma Studio Kirchhoff & Euwens Jan Kleihues Sauerbruch Hutton BOLLES+WILSONProf. Steffen Schulz

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Iron has been worked in the region round about Iserlohn since the Middle Ages. Translated, the name Iserlohn means something like “iron forest” and refers to the fact that in the past both iron ore and smithsonite (a zinc spar used in the production of brass) were also mined here. In the 19th century, Iserlohn, the “iron town”, was seen as Germany’s equivalent to Manchester. The firm of Hermann Schwerter Iserlohn has been operating in this re-gion as an export and trading business since 1905, focusing on items made of iron for decorative indoor use, and in particular metal coat hooks, coat racks and coat stands. In the last 20 years, through expan-sion and acquisition, the company has also increa-singly moved into production and is therefore now also directly faced with questions of design - i.e. a completely new challenge. And that is also the rea-son for a new design project for coat hooks. Some brief remarks on the background to the project will serve as an introduction to the design task involved.

like the huge range of applications, the universe of objects made of iron is virtually immeasurable: rings, rolls, wires, chains, straps, rods, pins, hooks, screws, handles, fittings, bolts and many other things. A further dimension is added by the different production techniques involved (forging, casting, pressing, cutting), which determine the repertoire of technical forms of the objects. The effects of the Industrial Revolution brought about a shift in pro-duction - away from traditional manual working on a restricted regional basis, to centralized, industri-alized production facilities. While that is only partly true of the traditionally rooted iron industry in Iser-

lohn, where there is still a predominance of small firms, it is a factor for the weakness of the region in the competitive international environment. For about 30 years now, inexpensive decorative furniture fittings and hooks have been coming from southern Europe (Italy and Spain), where businesses invested in good time in lower-cost die-cast production me-thods. Today, furniture and clothes stand fittings are being increasingly imported from China, the land of low wages. like all other branches of industry, ironware production today is exposed to worldwide economic and technical conditions. In the field of interior decoration and visually preferred objects, however, it is changing current fashion trends that really count.

The product range of Hermann Schwerter Iserlohn naturally also includes style-conscious “Coat racks in Art Nouveau style” and “Coat racks in Bauhaus style”. Design styles of this kind are internationally understood and – when new – create a new quali-ty of looking at things. They mean, in the broadest sense, a different view of the world, through which new objects, new forms and new ways of seeing can be made attractive for the communication of goods.

Already once before, around the year 1900, the Iser-lohn region experienced a period of trend-setting development in objects and forms. From the end of the 19th century up to the start of the First World War, in the wake of the artistic impulses triggered by the Arts and Crafts reform movement, a whole number of small and medium-sized businesses located in the towns and cities ranging from Hagen

and Wuppertal to Cologne, Düsseldorf, Essen and krefeld, became involved in a movement that was later to become known as the “West German Im-pulse” and whose products found their way into the museums of the region. In the metalworking field, former lüdenscheid-based firms such as Hueck or Gerhardi established contact – in some cases arranged by the directors of the regional arts and crafts museums – to up-and-coming design artists of the time: Peter Behrens, Henry van de Velde und Joseph Maria olbrich. As a result, alongside what were then the centres of Jugendstil (Art nouveau) in Darmstadt and Weimar, a vibrant design scene also grew up for a short time in the “iron region”, with eminent designers and outstanding products. The impetus subsequently became lost, with the result that with very few exceptions (bathroom fit-tings from Grohe and Dornbracht), the region failed to produce any further artistic impulses. Even the Post-Modernism of the 1980s which, like Jugend-stil, triggered a broad modernization movement in the field of everyday objects, had only little impact on the businesses in the Iserlohn region. However, the technical and economic production factors have now become so tough that the only response can be through design.

At international level, particularly in the metal sec-tor, the last 20 years have seen some remarkable new design impulses, which have ultimately also led to significant economic success. Starting in the 1970s, the north Italian firm of Alessi sorted its tra-ditional product range into new “programmes”, cul-minating in 1983 with the launch of its highly regar-

new hooks FroM Iserlohn | DESIGN THEoRY BY PRoF. DR. PHIl. SIEGFRIED GRoNERT

ded design project “Tea and Coffee Piazza”, with the participation of celebrated Italian and international architects and designers. In the wake if this, Alessi was able to initiate a reassessment in the field of household goods, generating a sustained renewal with sustained demand. But as this example shows, one spectacular design project by itself is not suffi-cient to give the entire production of a company the new impulses it needs; rather, the product range, the production process and sales & marketing all have to be reviewed in their entirety in the context of the Corporate Identity and reworked as necessary. But when one has great goals in one’s sights, it is necessary to start somewhere – and in the present case with one challenging aspect of the project.

Therefore, the starting point chosen for renewing the Hermann Schwerter Iserlohn corporate cul-ture is hooks, and more particularly: clothes hooks. After all, there are many kinds of hooks. Some look to us like fossils from another age (“athlete hooks”, “church hooks”, “emergency hooks”, “volo hooks”); others, on the other hand, are still perfectly famili-ar (picture hooks, boat hooks, snap hooks). Clothes hooks, meanwhile, form a category all of their own, since they consist not only of a hook but a wall fitting as well. And it must be remembered in this context that the further out from the wall the hook projects, the greater the forces acting on the wall fitting be-come. Also in production terms, a distinction has to be made between older types of clothes hook made of shaped wire, and cast and wrought designs. The clothes hook typology also encompasses subtle va-riants, such as hat pegs (terminating in a ball or

such like shape) or coat hooks, which sometimes appear not much bigger than a towel hook. And fi-nally, there are single hooks and racks with sever-al hooks, which may already be seen as a halfway house to a coat stand. In the industry, clothes hooks count as the “coat stand of the common man” – and it is clothes hooks that the design project seeks to redesign.

The Hermann Schwerter Iserlohn product range en-compasses a wide variety of clothe and coat hooks with different styles and characters. However, it does not appear to incorporate one particular de-sign product that could point the way into the future.

It is a fact that not many designers in the past have concerned themselves with this product field in general or clothes hooks in particular, but one outstanding exception should be mentioned. In the 1920s, Wilhelm Wagenfeld, one of Germany’s gre-atest designers, created coat stands for the Ber-lin-based firm of S. A. loevy, and when Wagenfeld was later designing pressed glass products for Ver-einigte lausitzer Glaswerke, one of the objects he created was a clothes hook – actually made of pres-sed glass.

The “new hook from Iserlohn“ is also about a long tradition in the Iserlohn ironware industry which the design project seeks not only to preserve but to give a new dimension to for the present day. Hermann Schwerter Iserlohn is, after all, the last major com-pany in Germany that still produces clothes hooks. Moreover, the sales channels have also become

rather fragile. Specialist ironmongery stores will play an ever decreasing role in sale of the goods to the customers; therefore, alternative sales rou-tes will have to be explored in the wholesale field. The communication opportunities offered by a de-sign project that arouses publicity should also not be ignored.

Prof. Dr. phil. Siegfried Gronert

Studied at the Werkkunstschule krefeld (krefeld Arts College), which he left with the qualification of Industrial Designer; studied Art History and Thea-tre, Film and Television Studies and also Philoso-phy at Cologne University and University College in london. Doctorate (degree of Dr. phil.) at Cologne University.

From 1982 to 1993 lecturer in the Design Depart-ment of Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences and at the Hochschule der Bildenden künste Saar (Saar University of Art and Design) in Saarbrücken. Since 1993, Professor of the History and Theory of Design at Bauhaus-University Weimar; director of the Michel Archive (DDR); creation of the post-gra-duate study course in Art and Design / Fine Art, lea-ding to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.); president of the German Society for Design History (GfDg).

herMann schwerter MetallwarenFabrIklanger Brauck 11 // D-58640 IserlohnP.o. Box 51 55 // D-58606 IserlohnTel.: +49 (0) 23 71.9 75 - 119 // Fax: +49 (0) 23 71.9 75 - 245maheson@iserlohner-haken.de // www.iserlohner-haken.de