LACE Air Cushion with STABiO™ and YOY
Material Meets Creative Team Project featuring collaborations with creators taking on the challenges of materials ～ Discovering the appeal of materials for creating new customer value ～
2016.08.01
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo: 4183; President & CEO: Tsutomu Tannowa) has announced the Material Meets Creative Team Project, which is a project featuring collaborations with creators to clearly communicate the appeal of materials from unprecedented perspectives.
LACE is an air cushion created from a combination of STABiO™, the world’s first polyurethane material developed by Mitsui
Chemicals, and Design Studio YOY.
STABiO™ has characteristics such as freedom from yellowing, adjustable hardness,
elasticity, a unique texture and excellence in transfer. Usually used solely as an inner stuffing material for cushions,
STABiO™ is highlighted as an outer material in this work. A combination of the material, the structure and the design have
created an air-permeable cushion. When you look closely at it, you will discover the elaborate work unique to YOY in reproducing
individual fibers as well as the excellence of the material in transfer. LACE superbly represents the uniqueness of STABiO™
as a material made from plants in the form of shading produced by light passing through the holes in the lace and a natural
feel that allows a gentle breeze to pass through.
STABiO™
STABiO™ is a PDI™-based polyisocyanate material that Mitsui Chemicals developed in a world first. With numerous characteristics that are not available in conventional polyurethane materials, it serves a wide variety of applications. As a coating and adhesive material, it strengthens the chemical resistance and scratch resistance of the coating and provides a high level of glossiness. In gel form, it has a unique softness. Development efforts are underway in pursuit of new textures.
Design Studio YOY
YOY is a design studio that was jointly founded in 2011 by Naoki Ono, a spatial designer, and Yuki Yamamoto, a product designer. It produces works on the theme of design between spaces and objects. Its works are sold at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and around the world, and the studio has won numerous awards in Japan and overseas. The two designers have been part-time teachers at Musashino Art University since 2015. In April 2016, YOY held a private exhibition in Milan.