Milan 2014: design brand TOG launches in Milan this evening and will unveil a range that includes customisable outdoor furniture by British designer Sebastian Bergne.
Sebastian Bergne designed the aluminium and plastic Square family of products for TOG, a new furniture brand set up in Italy by Brazilian footwear company Grendene.
Designed for cafes, restaurants or gardens, the Square furniture features customisable elements to suit different tastes.
"Purchase and customisation of the Square chair works in different ways," Bergne told Dezeen.  A standard version can be ordered with a choice of different components – two types of arm and various seat and back options – available in different materials including plastic, aluminium, wood and fabric.
There will also be an option to order special finishes though a "network of recommended creatives," said Bergne. This network includes painters, artists, weavers and upholsterers who will create bespoke elements before the product is delivered fully assembled.
A third option allows the buyer to customise the chair by ordering blank covers that they can paint and adapt, or even downloading patterns to sew elements themselves.
"This is all made possible by designing the chair in a way that lends itself to being assemble easily using relatively simple components, helping the logistics of dealing with this multi creative network," explained Bergne.
"The versions being shown in the exhibition are essentially made using moulded plastic components combined with extruded aluminium tubes. Some have plastic seats, one has an upholstered seat, another is customised with rope weaving and another has a slip cover customised by me. There are already other components in development."
Stackable chairs can come with armrests that point up or down. These are formed from sections of the extruded aluminium legs, which slot into a curved bar that creates the backrest.
The metal sections are available in white, black or orange. A plastic seat, which can be the same or a different colour to the frame, has a grid of holes for rainwater to drain through.
A set of square and circular tables accompany the seats, in the same selection of hues.
The collection will be displayed at TOG's flagship store, Piazza Gae Aulenti Torre B, in Milan from tomorrow, following the private launch party this evening.
TOG will also be showing new products at the store by designers including Philippe Starck, Nicola Rapetti, and Industrial Facility founders Sam Hecht and Kim Colin.