In a surprising turn of events, the sofa business Basta, launched by renowned Dutch designer Marcel Wanders just last year, has already gone bankrupt. The company filed for bankruptcy protection for its workshop and showroom in Amsterdam at the end of last week, marking a swift and unfortunate end to the venture.
Marcel Wanders, known for his innovative designs, started Basta with entrepreneurs Joel Roos and Stefan Mahlberg from the Nordic home design brands One Nordic and Hem. Before launching, the team spent three years meticulously working on the design and production of the Cubibanks, sofas known for their restrained design and sustainable materials. The Cubibanks featured upholstery made from recycled PET bottles in Belgium and were locally assembled to ensure the shortest possible transport lines from raw material to customer. Customers could customise their sofas from Cubimodules, with prices ranging between 2800 and 6000 euros. In addition to sofas, Basta also offered accessories designed by Finnish designer Antrei Hartikainen.
Basta aimed to establish independent branches worldwide, allowing local craftsmen to fabricate sofas on-site using local materials. The first combined HQ, workshop, and showroom opened last summer in Amsterdam, followed by branches in Helsinki, Stockholm, and Antwerp. The plan was to open five new Basta HQs each year.
However, financial difficulties arose, leading to the company seeking bankruptcy protection last week. Curator Joris Opstroom has confirmed that the company has now been declared bankrupt for both its Amsterdam workshop and the associated headquarters. The Finnish and Belgian branches of Basta, being independent, are not affected by this bankruptcy.
The cause of the bankruptcy and the specifics of its resolution remain unclear. Efforts will be made to explore possibilities for a restart or sale of the business to satisfy creditors as much as possible. The staff has been immediately dismissed but will continue to receive payment for up to six weeks.
Marcel Wanders, best known for his work with the design label Moooi, the interior design of the Andaz Hotel on Prinsengracht, and the business class tableware for KLM, recently closed his design studio on Amsterdam's Herengracht after thirty years, resulting in the loss of eighty jobs. The closure of Basta marks another chapter in the evolving career of this influential designer.
Source: www.parool.nl