Fabian Schwaerzler

by Mathias Remmele

People used to say, and not without cause, that “a useful trade is a goldmine”. Such times may be long gone as far as some people are concerned, but for a designer like Fabian Schwaerzler, nothing has changed; the thorough apprenticeship in metalwork he completed before beginning his formal training as a designer has provided him with a solid foundation for his later professional development. The skills and experience he acquired in the workshop have underpinned not only the the industrial design degree that he completed at Zurich’s University of the Arts in 2003 but also proved invaluable during the ensuing two-year collaboration with the Belgian furniture designer Maarten van Severen. A master craftsmen whose limited runs of hand-crafted furniture had already earned an outstanding reputation in the design world (long before his creations were produced on an industrial scale by internationally renowned companies such as Vitra or Kartell), van Severen continued to draw on the creation of furniture in his own workshop for inspiration throughout his life.
These formative years in Maarten van Severen’s studio in Ghent allowed Fabian Schwaerzler to perfect his skills as a craftsman, particularly in the treatment of aluminium surfaces and aluminium welding. It was here that he broadened his knowledge of materials – aluminium, wood, steel and leather in particular – and learnt of their inherent aesthetic and design qualities; it was here that he formed his resolve to strive for a purist formal idiom founded on subtle design and impeccable workmanship; and it was here, ultimately, that he truly learnt what it means to be an industrial designer. Schwaerzler has further refined his industrial design capabilities both as a member of Vitra’s product development team, where he has been taking on challenging assignments since 2005, and at his studio in Zurich, where he is currently working as a freelance designer at the crossroads of artisanal craftsmanship and industrial series production.
The Dutch manufacturer Pastoe has recently begun production of Chair LC03 (a joint design with Maarten van Severen) but Schwaerzler continues to produce small runs of his own pieces in his studio, and these are marketed at design exhibitions and via his website. Another area of particular interest is the design and manufacture of custom pieces for private buyers seeking tasteful contemporary works. Schwaerzler is particularly fond of creating exclusive one-offs, as such pieces display his combined talents of designer and craftsman in their best light and allow him to execute his designs at the very highest level.