Modular Imag­i­na­tion

Modular Imag­i­na­tion is an open invi­ta­tion to partic­i­pate in config­ur­ing spaces and build­ing new worlds by the contem­po­rary culture vision­ary Virgil Abloh. In 2020 — only a year before his untimely death in Novem­ber of 2021 — the Amer­i­can fashion designer and entre­pre­neur began to explore with Cassina the impli­ca­tions of modu­lar­ity, a key theme in contem­po­rary design. While sharing the funda­men­tal values that produced design icons- respect for func­tion, expres­siv­ity, simplic­ity of shape, and supe­rior crafts­man­ship — Modular Imag­i­na­tion is also informed by purely contem­po­rary prin­ci­ples ‒ like versa­til­ity, appro­pri­ate to homes of differ­ent styles and sizes, and sustainability.

The unique project is composed of two differ­ent-sized build­ing blocks based on the idea of playful, active partic­i­pa­tion, effec­tively giving users auton­omy over its use in their own space. Abloh designed each block as a geomet­ric unit to stand alone or combine, suit­able for private and public settings. A special connec­tor allows the two pieces to overlap so the orange feet can lock into the top of the under­ly­ing block, yield­ing multi­ple optional uses – as an ottoman, a bench, or a table. The blocks appear decep­tively rigid in matt black, conceal­ing their soft form, making Modular Imag­i­na­tion an appealing seat. 

Remain­ing faith­ful to the work of Virgil Abloh, Modular Imag­i­na­tion becomes part of the Cassina catalog as another of the creative’s high-quality contri­bu­tions to the world of design. The round Abloh Cassina logo in bas-relief on the blocks’ faces and hashtag #Ablo­hCassina seal the union between the company and the great artist. Virgil Abloh embod­ied — through influ­ence, inno­va­tion, and intu­ition — the qual­i­ties of a master of our times within the inter­na­tional intellectual panorama.