Residents
WE ARE EXCITED TO INTRODUCE OUR DESIGN RESIDENCY PARTICIPANTS—TALENTED DESIGNERS PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF CREATIVITY.
DELVE INTO THE DIVERSE ARRAY OF PROJECTS OUR TALENTED RESIDENTS HAVE CREATED. EACH PROJECT REPRESENTS A UNIQUE VISION, PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF DESIGN AND CHALLENGING CONVENTIONAL THINKING. AS YOU EXPLORE THEIR WORK, YOU’LL UNCOVER INNOVATIVE APPROACHES AND GROUNDBREAKING IDEAS THAT ARE NOT ONLY SHAPING THE CURRENT LANDSCAPE BUT ALSO SETTING THE STAGE FOR THE FUTURE OF DESIGN. THESE ARE THE TRAILBLAZERS WHO ARE REDEFINING WHAT’S POSSIBLE, AND THEIR WORK IS A TESTAMENT TO THE CREATIVE POTENTIAL THAT EMERGES WHEN PASSION, SKILL, AND CURIOSITY CONVERGE.
Kickie Chudikova
INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER, NEW YORK
kickiechudikova.com
Kickie Chudikova is a Slovak-born industrial designer based in New York. Passionate about colour and form, Kickie balances the timeless beauty of raw materials with cutting-edge technology to create work intended to spark joy in the everyday.
In 2022, Insectum - a kaleidoscopic installation of furniture and lighting debuted at Alcova during Milan Design Week - received widespread global praise. This year, new light collection Pulpopolis was shown at Alcova in Milan before making its US debut at Collectible, New York, in September.
Kickie has received the inaugural DESIGNxIMPACT prize from NYCxDESIGN and was recognised among the Best 100 at the 2023 Kyoto Design Awards. She collaborates with international brands on commercial design projects as well as developing her own limited edition of products.
kickiechudikova.com
Kickie Chudikova is a Slovak-born industrial designer based in New York. Passionate about colour and form, Kickie balances the timeless beauty of raw materials with cutting-edge technology to create work intended to spark joy in the everyday.
In 2022, Insectum - a kaleidoscopic installation of furniture and lighting debuted at Alcova during Milan Design Week - received widespread global praise. This year, new light collection Pulpopolis was shown at Alcova in Milan before making its US debut at Collectible, New York, in September.
Kickie has received the inaugural DESIGNxIMPACT prize from NYCxDESIGN and was recognised among the Best 100 at the 2023 Kyoto Design Awards. She collaborates with international brands on commercial design projects as well as developing her own limited edition of products.
Luca Gruber
DESIGNER AND ARTIST, GERMANY
luca-gruber.de
Luca is a German designer and artist whose work is intended as a physical ode to the craftsperson’s labour and to the subtle qualities of matter when subject to human action.
With a focus on design excellence aided by advanced manufacturing technologies, he works in close collaboration with skilled artisans to create objects infused with a sense of history and energy.
In 2023, Luca’s Anicca Vanitas Collection was handcrafted by Carl Auböck V at the family-owned Viennese workshops, and he collaborated with Lobmeyr to design the OZ Collection using glass shards from overproduction in the industry. This year, Luca worked with Kumpusch and Hofglasmalerei Gustav Van Treeck to create a dining table exhibited during Wood Land at Schloss Hollenegg for Design.
Since graduating with an Advanced Masters in Design for Luxury and Craftsmanship from ECAL, Luca has worked with Ini Archibong and Bodo Sperlein and exhibited at Milan Design Week, Vienna Design Week and Paris Design Week among others.
luca-gruber.de
Luca is a German designer and artist whose work is intended as a physical ode to the craftsperson’s labour and to the subtle qualities of matter when subject to human action.
With a focus on design excellence aided by advanced manufacturing technologies, he works in close collaboration with skilled artisans to create objects infused with a sense of history and energy.
In 2023, Luca’s Anicca Vanitas Collection was handcrafted by Carl Auböck V at the family-owned Viennese workshops, and he collaborated with Lobmeyr to design the OZ Collection using glass shards from overproduction in the industry. This year, Luca worked with Kumpusch and Hofglasmalerei Gustav Van Treeck to create a dining table exhibited during Wood Land at Schloss Hollenegg for Design.
Since graduating with an Advanced Masters in Design for Luxury and Craftsmanship from ECAL, Luca has worked with Ini Archibong and Bodo Sperlein and exhibited at Milan Design Week, Vienna Design Week and Paris Design Week among others.
Helena Bajaj Larsen
INTERDISCIPLINARY TEXTILE DESIGNER, FRANCE-INDIA-DUBAI
helenabajajlarsen.com
Interdisciplinary textile designer Helena Bajaj Larsen is based between France, India and Dubai. Her practice spans art, fashion and interiors and maintains a strong focus on collaboration with craft communities across the global south. She is a graduate of Parsons School of Design, New York, and Milan’s SDA Bocconi School of Management. After Parsons, she traveled directly to Port-au-Prince having been awarded a fellowship by Donna Karan to assist in her mission to reboot the Haitian crafts economy.
At just 22, Helena launched her brand and is frequently recognised as an emerging voice in craft and design. Since graduating, she’s collected multiple accolades across prestigious platforms including the CFDA’s Future Fashion Graduate Showcase, Milan Fashion Week with Vogue Talents, NYFW, Lakme Fashion Week’s Gen Next incubator and others.
She was recently invited to Brunello Cucinelli’s Solomeo Academy, selected for an art residency in Riyadh by the Saudi Ministry of Culture and spent a year leading textile special projects for Iris van Herpen in Amsterdam. Helena’s upcoming projects include a furniture collection with Pendhapa Atelier and a fine art installation in Cambodia as well as a craft-led research initiative with Made for A Woman in Madagascar.
helenabajajlarsen.com
Interdisciplinary textile designer Helena Bajaj Larsen is based between France, India and Dubai. Her practice spans art, fashion and interiors and maintains a strong focus on collaboration with craft communities across the global south. She is a graduate of Parsons School of Design, New York, and Milan’s SDA Bocconi School of Management. After Parsons, she traveled directly to Port-au-Prince having been awarded a fellowship by Donna Karan to assist in her mission to reboot the Haitian crafts economy.
At just 22, Helena launched her brand and is frequently recognised as an emerging voice in craft and design. Since graduating, she’s collected multiple accolades across prestigious platforms including the CFDA’s Future Fashion Graduate Showcase, Milan Fashion Week with Vogue Talents, NYFW, Lakme Fashion Week’s Gen Next incubator and others.
She was recently invited to Brunello Cucinelli’s Solomeo Academy, selected for an art residency in Riyadh by the Saudi Ministry of Culture and spent a year leading textile special projects for Iris van Herpen in Amsterdam. Helena’s upcoming projects include a furniture collection with Pendhapa Atelier and a fine art installation in Cambodia as well as a craft-led research initiative with Made for A Woman in Madagascar.
Aya Kawabata
TEXTILE AND GRAPHIC DESIGNER, JAPAN
ayakawabata.com
Aya Kawabata creates textiles and graphic works that reimagine traditional patterns, amulets, legendary animals and cultural stories. Having spent time living in New York and Europe, Aya’s creative philosophy is informed by an involvement in Japanese culture influenced by layered global experiences.
Multi-award winning, Aya’s accolades include recognition from Graphis, DMY Berlin, A Design Award and numerous others. Her work has been exhibited extensively all over the world from Art Basel, PAD Paris and New York Design Week to the Chicago Museum of Modern Art and Hong Kong Design Week.
Aya holds an MFA in 2D Graphic Design from Cranbrook Academy of Art. A highly accomplished violinist, she has served as the concertmaster for a Japanese youth orchestra organised by the Vienna Philharmonic, performed with Ryuichi Sakamoto and played at the Ghibli Museum.
ayakawabata.com
Aya Kawabata creates textiles and graphic works that reimagine traditional patterns, amulets, legendary animals and cultural stories. Having spent time living in New York and Europe, Aya’s creative philosophy is informed by an involvement in Japanese culture influenced by layered global experiences.
Multi-award winning, Aya’s accolades include recognition from Graphis, DMY Berlin, A Design Award and numerous others. Her work has been exhibited extensively all over the world from Art Basel, PAD Paris and New York Design Week to the Chicago Museum of Modern Art and Hong Kong Design Week.
Aya holds an MFA in 2D Graphic Design from Cranbrook Academy of Art. A highly accomplished violinist, she has served as the concertmaster for a Japanese youth orchestra organised by the Vienna Philharmonic, performed with Ryuichi Sakamoto and played at the Ghibli Museum.
Duyi Han
DESIGNER, CHINA
duyihan.com
Créateurs Design Award winner Duyi Han focuses on holistic aesthetic experiences, considering his objects and environments as “neuroaesthetic prescriptions” - intricate semiotics of beauty algorithmically guided by the Tao philosophy of time and change.
In 2024, Duyi collaborated with the Christian Dior Couture Collection to re-imagine its famous Lady Diorbag in 3D-printed resin and gold leaf. Earlier this year, Salon 94 Design presented his Ordinance of the Subconscious Treatment collection and scenic design as its main booth at FOG Design+Art, San Francisco.
Duyi was recently announced as set designer for the Curated section at the Collectible Design Fair, Brussels, 2025, and holds a B. Arch from Cornell University.
duyihan.com
Créateurs Design Award winner Duyi Han focuses on holistic aesthetic experiences, considering his objects and environments as “neuroaesthetic prescriptions” - intricate semiotics of beauty algorithmically guided by the Tao philosophy of time and change.
In 2024, Duyi collaborated with the Christian Dior Couture Collection to re-imagine its famous Lady Diorbag in 3D-printed resin and gold leaf. Earlier this year, Salon 94 Design presented his Ordinance of the Subconscious Treatment collection and scenic design as its main booth at FOG Design+Art, San Francisco.
Duyi was recently announced as set designer for the Curated section at the Collectible Design Fair, Brussels, 2025, and holds a B. Arch from Cornell University.
