23 April 1998: The Irish crystal company Waterford has employed the services of fashion designer John Rocha, in an attempt to introduce a new generation of contemporary consumers to its product.
Afte…
23 April 1998: The Irish crystal company Waterford has employed the services of fashion designer John Rocha, in an attempt to introduce a new generation of contemporary consumers to its product. After years of traditional, classic crystal making, the company, established in 1783, has decided to take on a new challenge: with the help of Rocha, who has designed a range of “made to be used” crystal, the traditional Irish crystal company is aiming its delectable products at a new, “funkier” market, according to the designer. “We“re making crystal hip,” said Rocha. Rocha, who was named British Designer of the Year in 1993, was commissioned three years ago to produce the collection with a minimalist sensibility in mind. “It is difficult going from fashion to crystal but basically you are still designing beautiful things and it“s about balance, color and proportion,” he said. “I decided to design crystal which I would like to have in my own house and worked with the people on the floor to learn as much about the product as possible.” Rocha designed a simple range of glasses, vases and bowls for Waterford, using the landscape of his adopted home, Ireland, as inspiration. Rocha was born in Hong Kong and is of Chinese and Portuguese descent, but has made Dublin his home for the past 18 years. He merged Chinese and Celtic symbolism in one of the collections, Signature, as a celebration of his cross-cultural background.