Limited edition: The Origami Family by Clara von Zweigbergk

Introducing The Origami Family, a collection of origami figures created by Swedish designer Clara von Zweigbergk, in collaboration with HAY. These pieces, all handmade by von Zweibergk herself, will be available for a limited time only, launching during 3 Days of Design and sold exclusively at HAY House in Copenhagen.

The idea for the collection began in 2019 when HAY co-founder and Creative Director Mette Hay saw an intricate origami basket while traveling in a New York City taxi cab. She was enamoured with the craftsmanship.

Mette reached out to von Zweigbergk and asked if she would be interested in creating something for HAY using this paper crafting technique.

'It was clear to me whom to entrust with this task, given Clara's special approach to colour and her love for folding paper', says Mette Hay. Clara fell in love with the idea and devoted three months to learning the traditional Japanese technique. 'Mette's briefs are always very open, so I had a lot of room to experiment and create', Clara explains, 'in the end, both Mette and I were thrilled with the outcome.'

The result of her exploration of this ancient craft is 16 small figures: The Origami Family. Clara has made 200 paper figures in total. She spent the whole summer creating this limited collection for HAY, making the collection extremely personal. "I used a technique with 11 steps to get the origami shape. I would fold one base shape, which can vary in size and silhouette, and then combine that with additional shapes. It allowed me to build piece upon piece, so that the figures came together organically," says Clara. 'I wasn't necessarily looking to create people, it was a natural process.'

Paper has long been a source of creation and inspiration for Clara, who makes all of her initial models in paper. She has been using the material since she was a child. This love and deep understanding of paper is an essential element of The Origami Family, and it is evident in each fold and shape.

In creating the collection, Clara searched at length to find just the right colours, a key element of any product in the HAY universe. 'Clara's sense of colour is amazing, and that's clear in this collection. There's also a sense of humour as well as a feeling of nostalgia; everyone has folded paper as a child. The pieces bring together those elements in a very elevated way', explains Mette Hay.

Clara von Zweigbergk is a graphic designer and art director from Stockholm, Sweden. She studied at the Beckmans School of Design, Stockholm, and at Art Centre College of Design, Pasadena, USA. She has a breadth of experience in working within both advertising agencies and multidisciplinary design studios. After a period working in Milan, she returned to Sweden to set up her own design studio.

Her work has received international recognition, and she has won a number of design awards. Zweigbergk’s work is characterised by simplicity, balance and an exceptionally good grasp of colour. For HAY, she has created Kaleido, Playing Cards, Ellipse Tray, Pocket Mirror, Paper Paper Bin, Measure, Iris Collection and HAY Play.