Fuseproject CEO Yves Béhar.
Photo: Justin Buell
Creative Mind: Yves Béhar
The Fuseproject CEO is chronicling the development of many of his most innovative designs in his debut monograph, out May 25
“I always believed that design should be diversified,” says Yves Béhar, whose San Francisco–based company, Fuseproject, concepted technologically advanced solutions like the Forme Life home gym, Frame high-definition television that doubles as an art platform, or the Ocean Cleanup (TOC) sunglasses that transform plastic pulled from waterways into cool unisex frames. “I’m usually more interested in partnering on things that can be surprising. Often in these strange or out-of-left field moments, I find you discover the bigger design opportunities that tend to be more game-changing than the standard fields that designers play in.”
The visionary CEO will be discussing his design philosophy with Galerie editor in chief, Jacqueline Terrebonne, live on May 26 at 1pm EST. Click here to register.
Forme Life personal strength studio.
Ocean Cleanup sunglasses by Fuseproject CEO Yves Béhar. Photo: Courtesy of The Ocean Cleanup
Trash to treasure: “I think there is a calling in design about being of service. To me that was always a natural combination in the work that we do,” says Béhar, whose Ocean Cleanup sunglasses are made entirely from recycled plastics; each sale helps fund removal of 24 football fields worth of refuse from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. “Rather than creating a distraction for us, I’m interested in technology becoming life supporting.”
“I think there is a calling in design about being of service”
Yves Béhar
Drawings showing the development of the Ocean Cleanup sunglasses. Photo: Courtesy of the Ocean Cleanup
Tell the tale: In his debut monograph, Yves Béhar: Designing Ideas—Twenty Years of Fuseproject (Thames & Hudson), out July 20, Béhar shares insight into more than 60 of his creations, including the Sayl chair, which he pitched to Herman Miller’s head of design straight through an earthquake. “The storytelling within each project is really more a story of the meanderings, the things that worked and the thing that didn’t work, and how we got to a final solution,” he says. “I think it’ll be a good resource for somebody that doesn’t just want to see the finished product with some marketing speak but rather wants to understand how designs are born.”
Click here to see the full list of “Creative Minds.”
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2021 Spring Issue under the headline “Creative Minds.” Subscribe to the magazine.
Cover: Fuseproject CEO Yves Béhar.
Photo: Justin Buell
