Christophe Guberan, winner at the 2nd edition of the Hublot Design Prize

Created in 2015 in order to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the launch of its iconic Big Bang model, the Hublot Design Prize promotes the talent of tomorrow's designers. In its second edition the jury awarded Swiss designer Christophe Guberan.

It has become an unmissable event in the world of design. Hublot is celebrating the changing of the guard by recognising the work of Christophe Guberan. The awardee has received a cheque for CHF 100,000 intended to support him in the realisation of his work. The ceremony is a unique platform for expression and visibility and helps give candidates that extra push towards success.

Jean-Claude Biver, Ricardo Guadalupe and Pierre Keller, Former Director of the ECAL University of Art and Design in Lausanne, had a unique vision to develop and encourage young designers and understood that Hublot could offer the ultimate recognition. Falling between sponsorship and mentorship, the Hublot Design Prize is prestigious in the design world. The principle is simple; the independent jury is made up of 5 experts from the world of contemporary design (Marwa Griffin Wilshire, Lapo Elkann, Ronan Bouroullec and Phillips de Pury & Company , presided over by Pierre Keller) —each of whom put forward 5 candidates. In total, 25 candidates are selected and 8 of which are chosen and invited to show their creations in the very heart of the Hublot Manufacture in Nyon. The Manufacture acts as a temporary exhibition curated by Lausanne designer Adrien Rovero.

The paramount criteria that guide the jury's choice include: the innovation, creativity and originality of the projects presented; the choice of materials and the quality of execution; the viability and sustainability of the projects; and the utility and value of the creations. From Nigeria to Japan, from Colombia to Switzerland, the Hublot Design Prize unveils the new faces of design.

The 8 Hublot Design Prize 2016 finalists

The winner: Christophe Guberan, 1985, www.christopheguberan.ch

An ECAL graduate, an industrial designer, he has developed between Switzerland and the United States and has been working with MIT since 2014. Winning prizes from the Leenards Foundation and the Ikea Foundation in 2013, his work was awarded by Creative Applications in 2012. His signature is the experimentation and observation of material and its interactions.

Melanie Georgacopoulos, 1979, www.melaniegeorgacopoulos.com

A Royal College of Art graduate, a Greek-French jewellery designer, whose studies at the Mokume Institute in Athens (gold/silver smithery) and at the Edinburgh College of Art (sculpture) created the style of her work. Her signature is combined passions, metal and pearls that she sculpts in an innovative and anti-conformist fashion.

Sebastian Herkner, 1981, www.sebastianhernker.com

An Offenbach University of Art and Design graduate, he founded his studio in 2006 after having worked with Stella McCartney in London. His work won the German Design Award in 2011 and the EDIDA Award in 2015. In 2016, he was the Guest of Honour at imm Cologne. His signature is enhancing function, material, details and colours, and fostering their interaction.

Yota Kakuda, 1979, www.yotakakuda.com

A Royal College of Art graduate, he has collaborated with the Shin, Tomoko Azumi and Ross Lovegrove studios, and worked for the MUJI brand before founding Yota Kakuda Design in 2011. A multiple award winner, his work has, in particular, received the iF Design Award in 2015 and the Good Design Award in 2014. His signature is his passion for the elegance of everyday objects. As a collector of antique objects, he applies today's perspective to yesterday's techniques or objects with a disconcerting simplicity.

Ifeanyi Oganwu, 1979, www.expand-design.com

An architect and designer born in Nigeria, he lives and works in London. He studied architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology, the Architectural Association of London and Columbia University. He has collaborated with the offices of John Ronan, Zaha Hadid, Hussein Chalayan and Adams Kara Taylor. He founded Expand Design in 2008. His signature is the continuous search for the correlation between history, basic materials and new production techniques.

Felipe Ribon, 1982, www.productdesigncenter.jp

A graduate of ENSCI-Les Ateliers, and a Franco-Colombian designer, he has collaborated with the Bouroullec Studio, and continued his studies at the Villa Medicis and today at the Villa Kujoyama in Japan. In 2009 he won the Design Parade Audience Prize, the Best of the Best Red Dot Design Award and the Paris Grand Prix de la Création; in 2015, as part of a duo, he won the 16th Liliane Bettencourt Prize. His signature is formal and technological expertise and an experimental dimension applied to the search for wellbeing.

Julie Richoz, 1990, www.julierichoz.com

An ECAL graduate, this French-Swiss artist began her career with the Pierre Charpin studio before starting her own design studio in 2012. The winner of the Grand Prix at the Design Parade in 2012, she received a Swiss Design Award in 2015. Her signature is playing with perceptions of space, emptiness, fullness and depth.

Keita Suzuki, 1982, www.productdesigncenter.jp

A Tama Art University graduate, he created the Product Design Center and opened The Shop in 2012. His work has won many prizes such as the iF Design Award, the Red Dot Design Award and the Good Design Award. His signature is a minimalist and existential design deeply imbued with traditional Japanese aestheticism.

Source: Hublot

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