Gaetano Pesce goes Gen Z in final collaboration
This week we’re talking about another new and unexpected sock collab, the retail design firm that also has a talent for homey homes, and a quick chat with a friend who went from sleeping on a mattress on the floor, to launching a bed frame brand…
From Brand Land
Note: We learned of Gaetano’s passing away after the writing of this newsletter and interview with Allison Strumeyer of doublesoul. A statement from Allison on their friendship and Gaetano’s legacy:
My heart is broken hearing about Gaetano’s passing. He was truly the kind of visionary that comes only once in a generation. His originality, sincerity, and creativity brought so much wonder and joy into the world and I feel so lucky to not only have known him but, despite our age difference, to have been able to call him a true friend. I know that his legacy will live on in the colorful world he built over his incredible career and that wherever he is, he is smiling.
Gaetano Pesce ditched the resin for a sock collaboration with doublesoul. The artist designed a collection called “Calzacuore,” a nod to the restaurant where he and the doublesoul founders met. But how does an 84-year-old Italian artist and design pioneer cross paths with a gen z sock brand long enough to strike up a conversation that ends in a product collaboration? To find out, I messaged Allison, doublesoul’s cofounder, for more intel on how the perfectly whimsical collab came to be:
"Gaetano and I are both some of Antonucci's most regular "regulars" and are both close friends with the family that owns the restaurant. One day the owner introduced Gaetano and I to one another since he thought we would get along well. We officially met back in 2017 and have become close friends ever since. He was a very early fan of doublesoul and the sock category… Similar to his work, he loved our use of colors, patterns and truly bringing a unique perspective to what is traditionally a tired category. We discussed working together on a collaboration where his original artwork would be able to be available to a more accessible audience. He was immediately excited about the concept and we got to work.”
Allison explained that the socks took on several iterations with different recycled fabrics during the 6 months between inception to production. Technically, Gaetano didn’t fully leave his resin roots behind. Once they nailed the socks, he added a limited collection of 100 resin sock charms, made available for purchase on the doublesoul website.
Spaces to lose sleep over
I could spend hours (I have and do) scrolling through the portfolios of architecture and interior firms that design retail shops. If you’re also into this world, you may be familiar with the work of Stockholm-based firm, Halleroed, founded in 1998 by Christian and Ruxandra Halleroed. Their studio is famed for its craftsmanship in its global outposts for brands like Byredo, Frame, Acne Studios, and Toteme. Rarely, a studio so good at commercial spaces can also nail residential, but Halleroed has managed to, with one space in particular that caught my eye for what Yellowtrace called, “classic meets eccentric.” The two-story residence in question is “Gumshornsgatan”, located in Stockholm and dating back to the 1930s.
I love how the kitchen extends into the living room with a countertop that carries all the way through. Christian Halleroed was formerly in cabinetry which explains the sense of ease in the unexpected design.
The spiral staircase is another unexpected detail in the home. The steel railing says sophisticated, but when you get to the top and are met with a blue ceiling, you’re reminded that elevated does not need to mean overly serious.
Finally, I love how the living room is partitioned to create several different seating areas. In the second image, you’re able to get perspective of the space. It’s not as large as they make it seem, but by breaking it up into separate moments, it feels both cozy and spacious.
A creative you should know
I first discovered ReFramed, a Danish design brand making flat packed aluminum beds, in August 2022. A year after that, I was in Copenhagen at their HQ with Kasper Simonsen, the founder who quickly turned into a friend, bonded by, you guessed it, furniture. Driven by building community with everything he touches, I spoke with Kasper about launching the brand, his studio for emerging designers, and got an unsolicited sneak peek on what’s next in the world of ReFramed.
Copenhagen feels like the land of great design, what was missing from the space that led you to launch ReFramed?
The inspiration of ReFramed actually comes from my time in London. Where I saw firsthand, that good design was very much for the few and the brands I had grown up with in Denmark were known by very few people. That was my big realization - I wanted to build a brand that connected with a wider audience, and that was built on different principles including inclusivity and community. So that was the overall problem to solve. But I didn’t know where to begin. At the time I lived in a houseshare with 3 friends, and we all had our mattresses on the floor, as none of us could find a bed frame we really liked, so beds seemed like a great place to start.
Refugio is your studio space for independent designers. What was your vision in opening this space and building this community? Any dream projects?
We wanted to bring people together who could benefit from each other, work together, and face similar challenges in realizing their own dreams. Everyone here is independent in some way, and we all go through crazy ups and downs in the challenging world that we live in. It makes a difference to be surrounded by like-minded people sometimes so that you don’t have the feeling of being isolated which is quite common when starting out.
A dream project could be to one day tackle a public project in our neighbourhood where all of our skills can come into use somehow, and we can do some good for our community.
If you weren’t making beds, what would you be doing?
I’m not sure! We’d probably be knee-deep in reframing the design world in another way. Maybe starting in the kitchen, or elsewhere.
Shoutout a brand, space, or creative on your mind.
I need to shout out some incredibly inspiring people we’re working with. First of all keep an eye out for Parachilna, a Spanish lighting brand that is not afraid of doing design that provokes a feeling. They’re going through an interesting transition, and I can’t wait to see where they land. And also I gotta mention my friend and designer Michel Charlot, who we’re soon launching a new product with. He’s a real problem-solver which has been incredible to witness firsthand.
Where can readers find and follow you?
@reframedbrand and www.reframedbrand.com for the brand and @kasperschelde for the occasional BTS brand content and photos of bike rides outside of Copenhagen.