Zanat
Zanat was formally launched as a design brand only in 2015 and it has come a long way since. Zanat’s roots, however, are to be found much earlier in history. It started more than a century ago when Gano the great grandfather of Zanat’s founders, Orhan and Adem Niksic, stumbled upon what once was a primitive hand-carving technique that originated from a small village close to our hometown of Konjic, just south of Sarajevo on the Neretva River.
Gano learned the carving technique from some pioneer woodcarver-entrepreneurs who (thanks to visionary educational support of the Austro-Hungarian empire’s regime that ruled Bosnia at the time) perfected the village technique beyond recognition and teamed up with already established furniture producers in Sarajevo, such as Buttazoni-Venturini, who exhibited hand-carved furniture pieces at fairs and exhibitions in Milan, Paris (Millennium exhibition of 1900), Vienna.
Harri Koskinen
Harri Koskinen (born in 1970) has an uncompromising, bold design aesthetic that has gained him international renown since the early days of his career. Practicality, a spare style and a conceptual approach to product and spatial design are Koskinenʼs trademarks. His clients include Alessi, Arabia, Artek, Cassina IXC, Design House Stockholm, Finlandia Vodka Worldwide, Genelec, Iittala, Issey Miyake Inc., Montina, Muji, Panasonic, Seiko Instruments Inc., Swarovski, Venini and Woodnotes.
Founded in 2000, Koskinenʼs design agency Friends of Industry Ltd. is involved in product, concept and exhibition design. In 2009, Koskinen launched his first namesake collection, Harri Koskinen Works, consisting of furniture and a lamp. That same year, he became a partner in the Finnish organic and local production food concept and store called Maatilatori -Eat&Joy Farmers Market. In January 2012 Koskinen was appointed Design Director of the Iittala brand.
Koskinenʼs works have been on display in exhibitions around the world. He has been awarded several major design prizes, such as the Kaj Franck Design Prize (2014), the Torsten and Wanja Söderberg Prize (2009), the Pro Finlandia Medal (2007) and the Compasso d’Oro prize (2004).
