With the official launch of Collection O, its inaugural line, Toronto’s Hi Thanks Bye has announced itself as one of Canada’s hottest emerging studios. Comprising five sculptural steel pieces (a laser-cut shelf, a geometric chair, a fringed floor lamp, an angular side table and a sleek bar stool) plus a shaggy wool rug, the series was introduced in a matte forest green so deep it appears black at first glance.
Designers Stein Wang and Topher Kong, who established their brand in 2017, say that their own Chinese Canadian backgrounds inspired them to combine the aesthetic appeal of a traditional Chinese garden with the natural beauty of Canada’s islands, including Azure’s favourite architourism destination, Fogo Island. Hence the VO table, resembling a lily pad, and the OO rug, a collaboration with Toronto textile designer Avis Ho evoking the “plush feeling of stepping on moss.”
Previewed earlier this year in Stockholm, Collection O became a bona fide product offering in September, when its availability for purchase through the studio was announced. Just days later the line debuted a new burgundy hue at the London Design Festival.
This story was taken from the November/December 2018 issue of Azure. Buy a copy of the issue here, or subscribe here.