4321-MARKET is a unique gathering where the public meet new products designed by emerging designers. Starting with the first 4321-market in Seoul, Korea by ECAL alumni in December 2020, We open every year around the holiday season for a limited time, curated under a different theme. In 4321-MARKET: Swiss- Korean Souvenir Shop, 11 Switzerland-based designers and 9 Korea-based designers collaborated to create joyful souvenirs. We will continue with future collaborations.
SWISS–KOREA SOUVENIR MARKET 2023 Swiss Embassy Seoul 2023 Milan Design Week 2024Cattle Vase is a flower vase designed with a simple and delicate curved body with two vigorous horns that becomes a soft reminder of the head of the cow. The story of the Cattle Vase started from the Désalpe, one of the most well-known mountain festivals in Switzerland. Désalpe is the event to celebrate the cows coming down after spending summer days from the mountain to the plain. During the event, cattle are decorated with flowers on their heads. Cattle Vase captures this moment when cattles wear flower crowns. When the user arranges flowers on the vase, the Cattle Vase will be a cow from the Désalpe on the table.
The color and the silhouette comes from the Korean traditional vase called MaeByeong(매병; lit. Prunus Vase). MaeByoung is a vase created from the 12th(Goryeo dynasty) to 13th(Joseon dynasty) centuries in Korea. The characteristic of the vase is that it has a small opening on top with bulging shoulders, and an elongated body. Color I selected is off white which ties back to representing color of Korean people which also has a the term paegŭiminjok (백의민족; lit. White-clothed People).
Designing a product with the background from both countries, Switzerland and Korea makes the product unique and abundant.
Cattle Vase Chelsea Jihong Park 2023Cowbell Keyring is a reinterpretation of the typical souvenir from Switzerland. The Cowbell Keyring was designed with a sophisticated and mature aesthetic by modifying typical colorful tassels to the off white color and tone. Cowbell Keyring elevates the quality of the souvenir and achieves the breakthrough in the image of the kitsch souvenir shop objects.
Cowbell Keyring Chelsea Jihong Park 2023The Korean Mask Play, or Tal-Nori, originated in Korea in the 12th century or even earlier.
The performances, which were originally held to honor the gods, later often addressed
social tensions, including satire and mockery of renegade Buddhist priests and the nobility. I was very taken with the strong emotional expression of the masks and the beauty of these ancient, unique traditional rituals.
To make the figures a souvenir to take home, I decided to scale them down, keeping the predominant materials wood (masks) and fabric (dresses).
Keeping in mind the playful nature of Tal Nori, I decided to use finger puppets instead of dolls. The faces of the five selected figures are hand-stamped, a technique that allows a high repeatability without losing the uniqueness of each piece. The design of the faces is very reduced, dominated by lines and geometric shapes, inspired by the Swiss tradition of typography and design language of the 1950s.The finger puppets and wooden pieces were made in a social workshop in Zurich. The “Marktlücke” supports asylum-seeking women in re-entering the world of work.
The faces have been stamped by Anne Bachmann.
Tal Nori Finger Puppets Anne Bachmann 2023Taegeukgi is a wooden construction game created for the 2023 Christmas market of the Swiss Embassy in Seoul. Using the symbols present on the Korean flag, the goal of the game is to find the perfect balance between each piece in order to create a harmonious sculpture.
Taegeukgi Anthony GUEX 2023
Basket-Ursli is inspired by the Swiss children’s book ‘Schellen-Ursli’. The book is about little boy Ursli's adventure to find a big cowbell in his family's chalet in the Alps for the spring procession. I like the illustrations in the book a lot, especially the scene where Ursli is wearing the big bell like a cross-body bag. I looked into the bell-making process, and it seems not very different from a bag-making process. Applying felt fabric instead of the metal sheet and using rivet instead of welding, but keeping the pattern design of traditional cowbell. For the handle strap, I add some decorative detail similar to the embroidery fringe strap of the cowbell. This Swiss cowbell-inspired felt basket will be a good souvenir for travelers because it is light and not fragile. It can be used as a small storage for daily life with little hint of Switzerland.
Basket-Ursli Yesul Jang 2023Decoration and Swissness seem to have a gap between each other, but many of the Swiss traditional items have decorative pleasure in them. I found the charm in the decorative detail on the leather strap made out of a fringe for Swiss cowbells. Fringe Socks are just simple socks but with a unique fringe loop on the backside. I wish people who wear the socks feel like they are walking in the Alps.
Fringe Socks Yesul Jang 2023
This timetable was designed its inspiration from Josef Müller-Brockmann’s 1978 “Swiss Federal Railways Design Manual.” Referred to as the International Typographic Style, this highly iconic Swiss design emerged in Switzerland during the 1950s and remains a systematic approach to graphic design that garners international acclaim to this day. With its incorporation of a straightforward grid system and utilization of neo-grotesque sans-serif typefaces, this design serves as a representation of Switzerland’s longstanding tradition of practical design. It continues to find extensive use across Switzerland even in the present day.
Departure 2024 Mingoo Yoon 2023Brilliant white (RGB 255–0–0) cross on the reddest (RGB 255–255–255) background, a foursquare flag, pure blue–𝘈𝘻𝘶𝘭 (RGB 0–0–255) sky contrasting with the red, flags symbolizing each canton, SBB clock consisting only of dots and lines. And eternal flower of the Alps, Edelweiss. These are the images of Switzerland in my memory. Also, the word ‘Switzerland’ in Korean ‘스위스’ conjures up the image of a Swiss mercenary standing tall on a mountain. I translated these images into graphics and used a silkscreen technique to express them on a foursquare piece of notepaper.
ㅅㅇㅅㅇㅅ Minoh Song 2023
‘Round’ is inspired by the full moon.
People make wishes while watching the bright full moon.
People also make wishes on Christmas.
I imagined having a small full moon at home on Christmas.
It encourages people to say tiny wishes
when they return home and light a candle. After voicing their hopes,
They feel a sense of freedom. And they gather the energy to pursue those wishes.
Round Seungmok Lee 2023‘The Ticino’ is a creatively designed piece of tableware that draws inspiration from the shape of the Ticino wine-producing region in Switzerland and its wine culture enjoying wine. By having both a bowl and a plate integrated into one, it provides a convenient way to store different foods in each space or separate the seeds and shells that accumulate when eating olives or nuts that pair well with wine, helping to keep the wine-drinking experience more enjoyable and tidy. Naming the plate after the Ticino wine-producing region in Switzerland and designing it to resemble the shape of the Ticino region adds a unique touch to the design and meaningful connection to its Swiss cultural inspiration.
The Ticino Soyoung Kim 2023In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Korean and Swiss relationships, we created this piece as a merge of Korean’s singular textile patchworks with Swiss’ woodworking heritage.
Patchwork is a wooden tray inspired by the traditional Korean Bojagi. These wooden slats, made exclusively of Swiss wood, are graphically arranged to shape the tray referencing textile off-cuts patchwork. Switzerland is a country that contains a variety of wood species, mainly due to its hilly landscape and the robustness that growing at altitude can generate.
Patchwork Tray Victor Moynier & Amandine Gini 2023
The Swiss-made hand-felted slippers, crafted from Swiss wool, draw inspiration from the captivating color play of goji stones. The design blends the cozy comfort of traditional “Hüttenfinken” with the distinctive shape of padded Korean socks.
Handfelted Slipper Flavia Brändle &Eva-Maria Beer 2023The Bell of King Seongdeok also known as Emille Bell, dates back to 771 A.D. and is connected to the myth of the child who was sacrificed for the bell. The casting of the ancient bronze bell with a beautiful sound was an incredibly challenging task and many generations failed. Our object draws inspiration of the myth with the intention to create an object that doesn’t directly display the bell itself but rather represents the void left by its absence. The inverted space of the bell is made accessible –visually and tactically– and serves as a tribute to the child.
Emille Bell Laurin Schaffner & Kosha Ahmadi 2023Belle is a ceramic ornament inspired by the Swiss cowbell recreating a sound from the Alps.
Belle Youjung Jeong & Jakob Reuter 2023Inspired by the natural shapes of the wisteria leaves, this artwork aims to provide an elegant yet practical object.
Wisteria Kevin Dizami 2023The metal ruler inspired by the contours of Swiss mountains, ranges, and lakes.
Its design captures the freeform shapes of nature, making it enjoyable to transfer these forms onto paper as drawing cards or for various other applications.
Metal ruler capturing Swiss landscape Yeyeon Park 2023Metamorfosis de Julio identifies the section of traditional Korean chopsticks as an active surface, altering their geometry to enhance their functionality. A horizontal segment progresses into a vertical one: the initial portion of the chopsticks, resting on our hands, remains horizontal whereas the end section is vertical, maximizing the surface to hold aliments. A subtle variation to highlight the objectual quality of these iconic elements. A line, an extrusion in a movement of continuity.
Metamorfosis de Julio Milagros Rodriguez 2023“Greetings from Korea” is a collection of 5 postcards representing different locations across South Korea. It is an elegant twist on the typical, sometimes tacky destination postcard. Korean landscapes are met with the phrase “Greetings from ...” in German, French, Italian and English, symbolising the crossroads of two cultures.
Greetings from Korea Nina Treichler 2023Designed to amplify the moment of excitement before opening the lid. The dome-shaped brass lid expresses the aesthetics of the “ta-da” moment. When the lid is opened, a small bell hanging inside makes cheering sounds. Two types of inside surfaces, cylindrical and hemispherical, become a pleasant surprise to add on. Small twists on mundane objects can make a delightful surprise in daily life. Bell Canister can be a container for anything; a jewelry box, a serving dish, a scent diffuser with incense stones, even a lid alone as a food cover on a plate, and anything else. Leaving an ingenious encounter up to the user will extend the possibilities of Bell Canister.
Bell Canister Chelsea Jihong Park 2022WAVE was produced with the hope that it would melt into the table like a calm wave. We finished the beech wood with 3D CNC processing and walnut oil processing. WAVE provides better hygiene for consumers.
WAVE Minjoon Kim × Sungyeon Oh 2022“Sooyeongagu” is a furniture brand based on hardwood, which makes furniture and various products that warmly melt into everyday life. ‘Wave Plate’ brings nature to our table with its wood grain neatly depicting the various aspects of waves on the surface of the water. This product is made of natural materials and finished with eco-friendly oil.
Wave Plate Sooyeon Park 2022‘Sillysally’ is an illustrator who is inspired by the positive atmosphere of nature, and create daily products based on an illustration that make the viewers feel happy. Sillysally’s main character, sillybunny, always carries the most loving flower and this time, the illustration of sillybunny and the flower was made into coasters. Have a “Sillysally” life with our lovely coasters!
Sillysally Selim Yang 2022ecologue is a design brand that aims to make valuable object with sustainable material. ‘Seoripul Stool’ is a project carried out with Seocho-gu and reinterprets the meaning of street furniture that has a symbolism in the industrial society. It is entirely made of recycled plastic from waste for resource circulation and carbon emission reduction effect.
Seoripul Stool Hyunwook Lee 2022Living object brand Round To Flat illuminates the moment of inspiration. The three types of room perfumes presented through the ‘4321-market(2022)’ evoke intuitive memories with a bold combination of colorful natural fragrances with the motif of ‘Natural person in city’.
Round To Flat Temen Park 2022The stone object is a wine cup and wine stopper with an unique texture of the Gop-Dol that is Korean natural stone in Jangsu-gun. It has decorations that express the Christmas atmosphere well and functions in daily life. Each stone product is carefully manufactured by a 50-year-old traditional atisan.
Gop-Dol Wine Cup & Stopper Yeyeon Park 2022It is a spoon rest in the shape of eyes, nose and mouth. Perfect for creating fun points on the table.
Face Spoon Rest Eunjin Choi 2022It is a cup that embodies an organic pattern with a sense of volume. There is a grip on the natural bend, which adds convenience.
Pattern Tableware Jiyoon Shim 2022
It is a tableware that reinterprets nature that can be easily seen around it in a straight and geometric pattern, such as the appearance of droplets, clouds flowing, and grass growing. They are all made using a spinning wheel technique and are only one product per product.
Pattern Tableware Jiyoon Shim 2022
HAAB is a lifestyle brand founded by an industrial designer and a fashion designer. We are always seeking a useful and interesting pairing of materials and functions like a good food and wine pairing. Our first collection including an apron, pot stand, hand towel and room shoes is made out of terrycloth to absorb moisture and cotton nylon mixed fabric to be resistant to water. Each item has a signature fabric loop detail considering the neat way to store it in the kitchen area.
HAAP Kitchen Collection Yesul Jang × Yongcheol Kim 2022Although it is a simple form, it is a product with a different identity from existing tableware through a differentiated ratio. Unlike the square angular silhouette, it is characterized by being dug in a circular shape, and it is completed with makeup (work to apply powder) using Buncheong soil and pure white cremated soil. The concave part containing the food is treated with gloss and the other outer part is treated with matte to give a difference in texture, and light is reflected only on the glazed part.
De Re Seunga Baek × Seulgi Choi 2022A collection of items that share the same basic forms. Altering the dimensions for each one to change function and feeling. The colour scheme picks up on the Christmas theme for this market.
Dash Dot Youjung Jeong × Jakob Reuter 2022A product to inspired from our traditional architecture. With the motif of this unique and fun appearance of having a roof underneath the roof, the product solves the problems of the existing toothpick case, contains the right function as a toothpick case.
Cheom-a Youngbean Seo 2022DOSISM’s first collection, Chubby pot, focuses on the relationship with plants living in the city. It contains a witty story of a designer who imagined a plant that ate plenty of water and gained weight just like a companion animal living with people gains weight. An empty plate that can be used with a Chubby pot can become a plant stand or tableware depending on the type of object placed on it. It is a user-driven product that allows users to use anything in the way they want without limiting the functionality of the object. The chubby pot and empty plate are the result of studio iff's experimental research to explore various cmf and manufacturing techniques, and were produced by slip casting method, which is made by pouring slip into a gypsum mold.
Chubby Pot & Empty Plate Soyoung Kim 2022
A bowl with a handle.
Bagazi Yeyeon Park 2021Incense object created by capturing the movement of softly flowing physical properties of aluminium.
001 Plot Soyoung Park 2021Sterling silver pendant necklaces, assorted in 3 different shapes and finishes.
Christmas Bells Miji Noh 2021Whenever the handbook and diary are easily worn out in my messy bag. I need something to cover them so made it. And it is to say about a meaning of Plasticity.
Plasticity Jinhee Kim 2021A sun catcher of green blow fish.
Green Blow Fish Eunjin Choi 2021
A mat of green blow fish. The green blow fish have dumb but cute face.
Green Blow Fish Eunjin Choi 2021
Bonbon balances a candy colored pinwheel above a candle. The rising air turns the spinner. The smooth movement with the light from the candle makes a relaxed centerpiece.
BonBon Youjung Jeong × Jakob Reuter 2021An oak wood tray inspired by a swimming pool. The “pool” is expressed in a geometrically simplified shape with a smoothly carved surface.
Pool Tray Chelsea Jihong Park 2021D shelf is a wall shelf made out of bent stainless steel. Thanks to the compact size and wall mount structure, it is easy to be installed in a small space.
D shelf Yesul Jang 2021Natiful Vase is a vase that embraces the beauty of nature. Use the vase with flowers or as a beautiful object itself.
Natiful Vase Selim Yang 2021Six kinds of Grip toks shaped like a leaf.
Garden Talk Eunjin Choi 2021
It is a Mini Giraffe with long neck but short legs and Chubby Vase with short neck and short legs. They’re chubby and have short legs, but they are cute friends.
Giraffe & Vase Jiyoon Sim 2021These are oil candles in the shape of candles. Fill the candles with oil and light the wick. Made of shiny brass, they are perfect for creating a cozy Christmas evening atmosphere.
O’Candle Yeyeon Park 2020Here are six simple and cute Christmas graphic postcards. Merry Christmas to all of us who worked hard in 2020!
X-MAS Card Set Nayo Kim 2020
This is a hanging soap set consisting of a reusable cotton rope and soap modules that can be assembled onto the rope. The product is designed to reduce household waste by minimizing packaging, in contrast to liquid hand washes and body washes in plastic containers. The rope features a magnetic clasp, making it easy to hang anywhere. After using up a soap module, simply attach a new one to the rope, allowing for continuous use.
ROPSOP Yesul Jang 2020This is a flower vase reminiscent of flowers floating on a lake. Inspired by Eastern flower arranging, where flowers are placed on a needle holder, this product features a ceramic needle holder that allows you to arrange flowers in beautiful compositions. The needle holder can be separated from the vase and used independently in other settings.
Flower Pond Vase Chelsea Jihong Park 2020It allows you to release your tired and weary mind through incense placed in symbolic objects. The set includes three objects shaped like the sun, mountains, and the sea, and it comes with a small tray.
Landscape Miji Noh 2020
I have created a variety of incense holders and ornaments. Enjoy the simple pleasure of watching smoke rise from chimney-shaped incense holders, along with an assortment of small and diverse ornaments. All products are handmade from Spanish terracotta.
Gulttuk Incense Holder Youjung Jeong 2020This is an artwork featuring a typeface pangram. A pangram is a sentence that includes every letter of the alphabet from A to Z. It is commonly used to showcase type design samples, but it can also be created and appreciated as a form of linguistic play. The pangram used in this piece is: “The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over The Lazy Dog.”
The Quick Brown Fox Mingoo Yoon 2020
Artwork Stitched on the Clothes.
Helden Sterben Nicht Minoh Song 2020