CRAFTING IN THE PRESENT

– AN UPHOLSTERER’S PERSPECTIVE

With ERIK WICHMANN,

Fredericia upholsterer

Our upholstery workshop in Svendborg, Denmark, represent

a combined body of upholstery knowledge unapparelled in

Scandinavia, where we keep our traditions alive and apply our

internal wealth of knowledge.

Hans J. Wegner’s Ox Chair is a perfect example of an innova-

tive approach to an old craft. With its voluminous upper body

on a delicate steel base, it was a challenge to produce when it

was first launched in 1960 by the AP Workshop in Copenhagen.

In the late 1980s, Wegner turned to Erik Jørgensen for his up-

holstery expertise, and the result was quite cutting-edge at

the time. Together, they introduced modern block foam to the

chair, making it highly stable in form over time, as opposed to

the traditional method used before. When Fredericia acquired

Erik Jørgensen’s company in 2020, the workshop, upholsterers

and knowledge were kept to maintain the expertise and high

production standard.

UPHOLSTERY KNOWLEDGE. Pictured left, a patinated Ox Chair in Leather Max 95 Cognac.

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