From battlefield to Hollywood
"It's a completely impractical process for a chair. Unless you want a chair that lasts forever." - Gregg Buchbinder
The Navy Chair was originally manufactured to respond to enemy bombings during the war, and was later widely used in American prisons and public institutions. Eventually it was given a new life in the design world and became a must-have designer chair in Hollywood interrogation rooms. Its transformation from military supplies to design classics is a legendary story.
The world's strongest chair
In 1944, at the end of World War II, the American furniture brand Emeco was commissioned by the U.S. government to manufacture a chair specifically designed for warship operations. Emeco uses recycled aluminum and extreme ironworking technology, and undergoes 77 hand-making steps by craftsmen to create a chair that weighs only 3.18kg but is 6 times stronger than steel.
Crisis is opportunity
The Navy Chair's rugged nature makes it popular in prisons, hospitals and the public sector. After the war, government orders declined and Emeco faced bankruptcy. In 1998, the new CEO Gregg Buchbinder received a call from Giorgio Armani and discovered the potential of Navy Chair in the fashion and design industry, opening up new business opportunities for Emeco.
The Hudson Chair
In 2000, design master Philippe Starck collaborated with Emeco to reinterpret the Navy Chair in a more modern and sexy way, which attracted the attention of the design world and became a design classic. It also opened a new chapter for Emeco and different designers.