Verpan for Prada. The Verner Panton 1960s Inflatable Stool is back

Who knows the level of frustration felt by the people gathered at the men and women’s Prada show for spring/summer 2019, when instead of carrying out from the venue the welded transparent film pouffe they were sitting on they had to leave it there, ready to be once again reinflated at the beginning of next fashion week. And who knows what a surprise they felt knowing that that Inflatable Stool is now available on selected stores and Prada website. And just on time for Christmas, when its resemblance with an ice cube due to its own specific crystalline quality and square shape makes it the perfect season accessory, practical and festive at the same time. But exactly by assonance, not by design intent. Because the irresistible overexcited enthusiasm that takes the spirit every time it sees an almost immaterial object, one that defy the laws of physics, in this case is associated with one of the greatest names in industrial design: Verner Panton.

When he designed it for Verpan in the sixties, he certainly did not think about a Christmas gadget. He was too busy tearing down the boundaries between graphics and three-dimensionality. However, if this coincidence will make this Inflatable stool very popular, all we can do is being happy about it. It’s been a long time since there was a new canton object in the news, one that wasn’t a reboot of his iconic chair. But maybe Santa Clause is not even needed to turn it into a success. Nowadays, compressed air is very in. During summertime with extravagant pool floats two stories high. And now even in winter, albeit in a more unpretentious fashion. But with the same starring ambition. Far superior to being just an occasional stool to inflate in case of an emergency seating place. Because when one Inflatable stool is added to another one there you have a bench, or a big giant pouffe. And way before the concept of living with a sharing social attitude of today. Even though the reflection of the transparency of public administration in its own transparent film makes it more contemporary than yesterday.