Marcel Wanders

There was a time when light carried the mood of a room, shifting with the evening and holding people together in a quiet, almost invisible rhythm. In celebration of International Day of Light, Marcel Wanders returns to this sensibility with his manifesto of reinstating living light into our lives. Marcel reflects on how illumination moved from something responsive and atmospheric into something constant and indifferent. What was once intimate became uniform. His position calls for a return to nuance, where illumination regains its ability to shape experience, to accompany rather than dominate, to restore a sense of presence within everyday life. The fascination with candles and candle holders has always been deeply rooted in Marcel’s work. Since the early Droog years, he continuously returned to these objects as carriers of atmosphere, ritual and emotion, closely aligned with his passion for poetry and visual storytelling. Over the decades Marcel Wanders created several candle holders for clients including Target, Bijenkorf, Marks & Spencer, Alessi, Randstad, Goods, Christofle, Starbucks and Moooi. Steel, ceramics, silver plated surfaces and glass each became part of this enduring exploration. Different materials, different expressions, yet always the same pursuit: giving light intimacy, character and human closeness once again. #marcelwanders #marcelwanderslighting #livinglight #candleholder #internationaldayoflight

Milan Design Week 2026 unfolded as an intense schedule for Marcel Wanders, filled with inspirational talks, product launches, press interviews, partner meetings, and ongoing exchanges. Conversations such as What’s Next Envisioning the Future through Design, Technology, and Nature brought forward a perspective grounded in responsibility rather than prediction. Marcel spoke at Superstudio about the role of design in shaping not only objects, but behaviours and expectations. Each meeting carried a sense of purpose, where ideas were tested, refined, and sometimes challenged outright. Engagements moved between public discussions and private conversations, each contributing to a broader understanding of where design is heading. Milan, once again, became a point of convergence for partners, collaborators, and long-standing relationships. To everyone who contributed their time and commitment, thank you for making this edition meaningful. And a special thanks to … Bar Basso! #marcelwanders #marcelwandersdesign #milandesignweek #salone2026

Taking on the role of Guest Editor for Grazia during Milan Design Week 2026 marked an important moment for Marcel Wanders. In this special edition dedicated to the future of design, Marcel wrote in his The Art of Being Human editor’s letter about the effects of technology on our lives, on design, and on how we approach this new reality. According to Marcel, imagination, contradiction, and emotion remain the true drivers of design. As machines refine their precision, he points to a growing desire for what carries the trace of time and touch. The imperfect, the aged, and the handmade return not as trends, but as necessities. He challenges the discipline for leaning too heavily on what can be produced, rather than what can be felt. In this, intuition stands alongside knowledge, not beneath it. Marcel describes the future with depth and meaning, not only focusing on efficiency. Creativity expands, not despite artificial intelligence, but because of it. “The future is calling us to rise, to create with more depth, more sensitivity, more wonder than ever before. If we answer that call, we will not only shape the next chapter of design, but we will also shape a new chapter of humanity.” Marcel Wanders With photography by Ellen von Unwerth and covers featuring Vittoria Puccini, Gaia, Alessandra Mastronardi, and Sara Serraiocco, thank you to Grazia for this wonderful collaboration!

Superstudio Più, where memory and intention met without compromise. This Milan Design Week 2026 was simply different, remarkable. Moooi 25 and Promising returned to the site where it all began, marking twenty-five years with a presence that felt both precise and unapologetically expansive. At Superstudio, Moooi shaped a series of installations that carried their own distinct character, each one revealing a diverse facet of the brand’s imagination. Marcel Wanders approached the anniversary not as a retrospective, but as a moment to recalibrate what design can express today. The environments moved between control and unpredictability, where familiar forms were carefully unsettled. Materials and technologies intertwined with a clarity that never felt fully resolved, leaving space for interpretation. Beyond the exciting new designs, something raw, rough, and reflective emerged, wrapped in silver, seen in pieces like the silver edition of the Monster Chair, BFF sofa, and Container table. It was a celebration that resisted nostalgia, choosing instead to question its own legacy. Objects carried emotion without sentimentality, and spaces suggested stories without closing them. Thank you to Superstudio Design for this amazing venue, and to all collaborators and partners for making this 25th milestone celebration unforgettable! #marcelwanders #marcelwandersdesign #moooi25 #milandesignweek #superstudiodesign

For Marcel Wanders, the answers do not arrive neatly, and perhaps they never should. If Moooi were founded today, he would still protect its instinct, its refusal to follow the expected, while letting new tools and new voices reshape how stories are told. Some beliefs have shifted, others have held firm, but the core remains a commitment to emotion, imagination and a certain boldness that resists easy approval. Looking ahead, the path of Moooi continues with the effort to keep making room for ideas that challenge comfort rather than follow it. Marcel speaks about a design world that has become too polite and too careful. His interest in artificial intelligence adds a new dimension, not as a replacement for human thinking, but as a tool to extend imagination and deepen storytelling. A life extraordinary asks for curiosity, for honesty, and for the courage to keep questioning. Thank you for all the designers, partners, customers and the whole Moooi team for making these 25 years exceptional! And for the next twenty five years, perhaps one wish says it all: may Moooi25 & Promising remain unexpected and never too well mannered. #marcelwanders #marcelwandersdesign #marcelwanderscreativedirection #moooi 25andpromising

Across 25 years, Marcel Wanders, as Creative Director, has shaped a body of work for Moooi that feels both iconic and lasting. Early pieces such as Set Up Shades and V.I.P. Chair already carried a certain clarity, where familiar forms were gently shifted into something more expressive. They hold a sense of recognition, yet never settle into predictability, balancing comfort with a quiet sense of surprise. Remaining relevant not because they follow trends, but because they hold on to a strong point of view. This design approach continued with pieces that brought deeper layers of meaning. Just to mention few, the Monster Chair introduced a subtle narrative, turning a functional object into something that feels almost protective in presence. Meanwhile, the Delft Blue Collection revisits heritage with a gentle distortion, allowing tradition to feel fluid and current. Not to forget, the foundation of Moooi Carpets, where thanks to Marcel’s vision the floor becomes a surface for storytelling, carrying imagery that unfolds in unexpected ways. Each piece stands with its own identity, yet together they form a consistent way of thinking about design, where objects are given space to tell and to be loved. #marcelwanders #marcelwandersdesign #marcelwanderscreativedirection #moooi #25andpromising

Moooi. Twenty-five years of fearless imagination: from The Unexpected Welcome through Extinct Animals to A Life Extraordinary. Marcel Wanders and Casper Vissers set something in motion in 2001, that refused to follow familiar routes. Moooi was shaped as a home for ideas and designers, that did not easily fit elsewhere, where instinct had equal weight to reason and where refinement was allowed an extra letter to stretch its meaning. That third ‘o’ in Moooi stands for more value, beauty, more individuality, a small gesture that carries a lasting intention. From the beginning, design was treated as an act of care at Moooi, a way to create objects people could form a bond with rather than simply use. It grew through a close exchange between imagination and reality, guided by a shared sensitivity rather than a fixed formula. Over time, that voice unfolded into recognisable themes that continue to shape Moooi today. Life Extraordinary brought forward a way of living where richness and emotion take precedence over reduction. Extinct Animals introduced a poetic layer, reflecting on the diversity of the world through imagination rather than literal representation. The idea of a platform for designers remained central, allowing unconventional visions to find their place without compromise. Across furniture, lighting and surfaces, Moooi formed a world that feels layered and human, where each object carries a story and invites a response that goes beyond function. #marcelwanders #marcelwandersdesign #marcelwanderscreativedirection #moooi #25andpromising

Orange does not remain quiet, it pulses, glows, and insists on being felt. Marcel Wanders uses his Dutch roots like a dream, gathering fragments of culture and transforming them into layered expressions of form and meaning. Craft and imagination move side by side, allowing tradition to unfold in unexpected ways. The familiar becomes slightly surreal, yet deeply recognisable. Orange becomes a carrier of identity, both regal and playful. Oranje boven, oranje boven, leve de koning! Orange above all, orange above all, long live the King! #marcelwanders #marcelwandersdesign #happykingsday #dutchdesign #dutchorange

Orange carries the pulse of a shared identity, and Marcel Wanders treats it as a thread that ties past and present together. His designs reinterpret Dutch motifs with a sense of wonder, where familiar patterns shift and glow in unexpected ways. Heritage appears fluid, never fixed, always evolving into something new yet recognisable. The influence of Dutch culture lives in every curve and detail, without ever feeling confined by history. It moves freely between nostalgia and invention. King’s Day unfolds not just as a moment of festivity, but as a stage of colour and imagination shaped by originby imagination and origin. #marcelwanders #marcelwandersdesign #happykingsday #dutchdesign #dutchorange

As we celebrate King’s Day, our posts dress in orange. A colour of resistance and unity, independence and boldness, brought to life also through Marcel Wanders’ designs. He draws from Dutch heritage with a storyteller’s touch, weaving motifs that echo Delft patterns, baroque flourishes, and playful elegance. The result feels both rooted and dreamlike, as if tradition has stepped into a more imaginative world. Orange is not loud for the sake of it, but rich with memory and meaning. A celebration of where we come from and how we express it today. #marcelwanders #marcelwandersdesign #happykingsday #dutchdesign #dutchorange

Visionario, divertente, passionale. Il designer olandese Marcel Wanders, co-fondatore e direttore creativo del brand @moooi e direttore ospite di questo nuovo numero di Grazia, ci ha portati nel suo mondo per raccontarci come sono nati gli oggetti con cui ci parla di gioia e di favole. L’intervista completa firmata Melissa Feldam sarà disponibile in edicola e su app dal 23 aprile. —— Visionary, playful, passionate. Dutch designer Marcel Wanders, co-founder and creative director of the brand @moooi and guest director of this new issue of Grazia, takes us into his world to tell us how the objects he uses to speak about joy and fairytales came to life. The full interview by Melissa Feldman will be available on newsstands and on the app from April 23. Editor-in-chief: @silvia_grilli Photo: @ellenvonunwerth #GraziaItalia #MilanoDesignWeek

Alla vigilia della #MilanoDesignWeek 2026, tra installazioni immersive e celebrazioni iconiche, abbiamo incontrato @marcelwanders , direttore ospite del nuovo numero di Grazia Italia e fondatore di @moooi , in occasione delle celebrazioni dei 25 anni del brand. Nello spazio di @superstudio.events , tornato simbolicamente alle origini della sua prima presenza milanese, Moooi ha presentato una celebrazione “silver” che riflette sul passato per proiettarsi con decisione verso il futuro: superfici grezze e riflettenti, oggetti iconici reinterpretati e un ambiente immersivo dove immaginazione, ingegneria ed emozione convivono. Guidata dalla visione di Wanders, l’installazione costruisce un racconto in equilibrio tra stabilità e rischio, tradizione e sperimentazione, anche attraverso il dialogo con la ricerca sul movimento del coreografo @yoann_bourgeois . Il risultato è un universo sospeso, poetico e dinamico, in cui il design diventa esperienza narrativa. Un anniversario che non guarda indietro con nostalgia, ma che conferma come, per Moooi, il design resti uno spazio aperto dove le idee evolvono e le storie continuano a prendere forma. ——— During the Milan Design Week 2026, Marcel Wanders, guest editor of the new issue of Grazia Italia and founder of Moooi, marked the brand’s 25th anniversary with a presentation that reflects on its roots while looking ahead. At Superstudio Più, returning to the location of its very first Milan appearance, Moooi unveiled a silver-toned installation defined by raw, reflective materials, reimagined icons, and an immersive environment where imagination, engineering, and emotion coexist. Guided by Wanders’ vision, the installation unfolds as a narrative poised between stability and risk, past and future, tradition and experimentation, also informed by the exploration of balance and movement by choreographer Yoann Bourgeois. The result is a suspended, poetic universe in which design becomes a storytelling experience. Rather than a nostalgic milestone, the anniversary signals continuity, reaffirming design as an open space where ideas evolve and stories continue to unfold Direttrice @silvia_grilli #GraziaItalia