We may no longer live as we did 50 years ago, but we seem to enjoy furnishing our homes in that style. Anyone who strolled through Milan during Design Week this year or sought inspiration at 3daysofdesign in Copenhagen could hardly have missed one theme: re-editions. Everywhere, classic designs were being reissued, reimagined and recontextualised. But what was once considered a marginal phenomenon – especially for collectors, connoisseurs and design historians – has now become a real driving force in design. And not only that: re-editions have become a cultural commentary – with attitude, with a message, with a sensitivity to the present and history.
What is driving the current hype around re-editions? Is it merely nostalgia for a particular style? Or is there a deeper movement behind it? Sure, seeing familiar icons again stirs up emotions. But many current re-editions go beyond mere revival – they question, adapt and remaster. The best example: Cassina, which, to mark the 60th anniversary of its collection i Maestri, covered the Fauteuil Grand Confort by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand in red velvet. A deliberate irritation – or rather, a creative commentary on our present.
Because that is precisely what is meant by ‘cultural commentary’: when a design classic is reissued today – in a different colour, with modified materials or in a new context – the result is more than just a copy. The reissue raises questions about the original: why was it considered modern at the time? How relevant is it today? And what does it say now, under changed conditions, about our current ideas of interior design, sustainability or aesthetics? Such reissues are not mere reproductions – they are reflections in furniture form.
Other brands also demonstrate how much scope there is between archive and current trends. Hay presented several re-editions this year: the Amanta sofa, the X-Line Chair (originally from 1977) and the Rey Chair (1971), two designs that have remained concise in terms of form and function – yet still appear fresh in terms of materiality and colour scheme.
It becomes even more exciting when re-editions are developed further not only aesthetically, but also ethically. Jonathan Olivares, design director at Knoll International, took on the legendary Barcelona Chair in 2024. Instead of chrome, now lacquered steel; instead of leather, now fabric upholstery – a decision that responds to sustainability issues as well as new living requirements. The goal: to bring the chair back into the home, away from anonymous corporate lobbies.
The fact that re-editions now extend far beyond the field of design is demonstrated by the collaboration with the fashion industry. Take Jil Sander, for example, who teamed up with Thonet to give Marcel Breuer's famous cantilever chair an elegant new look – celebrated above all in Milan. The alliance between fashion and interior design is no coincidence. Both disciplines deal with the body, space and time. And both are currently repositioning themselves: more sustainable, more conscious, more durable.
Re-editions show that design history is not a closed chapter, but a living resonance chamber. The icons of the 20th century are not only being brought back – they are being rewritten. Often precisely, sometimes playfully, always with a new perspective. It is difficult to say whether this is a trend or a profound creative development. Perhaps it is both. Like an old Beatles record that, when remastered, suddenly reveals unexpected details – familiar and yet changed. Re-editions invite us to listen more closely. And to look more closely.
