On a sunny, morning on a quiet, tree-lined street in South Yarra, designer Nicci Green met me for a chat about her perfectly imperfect glassware range. Sitting out the front of South Yarra’s Cafe Gaia, we discussed the process of her work, its style and charm, and how hand-making individual glasses creates subtle and beautiful differences in each piece.
Nicci began Bribe Glassware just six years ago, but it has since grown into a covetable international brand, stocked in some of the most impressive stores the world over.
She confesses to me over coffee (peppermint tea for Nicci) that the name Bribe came when she was leaving one industry for another and what better way to get ahead than with a little...
How did the aesthetic develop? It feels and looks just right.
Well I knew there was a gap in the market for affordable, fashionable glassware, and with each piece being made by hand the glass becomes unique and sculptural, a one-off. No two glasses will ever be the same, but that’s the point. With a range like Fini I was inspired by my mum's pop art 60's wallpaper, a kind of Marimekko, retro feel.
Stores like the MoMA New York Gallery Store and The London Design Museum, now stock Bribe. It must a great feeling to be considered alongside some of the greatest design of our time?
This all started with our Citi design, which depicts city skylines from around the world made up of a single unbroken line. It actually caused a quite a stir and established a trend for similar works. The simple line art has now been imitated on products, billboards and graphics worldwide. I guess it is quite flattering and having the museum stores stocking Citi helped put Bribe and our Citi design on the map.
And now there is lighting in the Bribe family. The Lumi table lamp is a beautiful extension of the brand. How did this design come about?
I think it proves that the simple things work the best. I was playing with some of our vases and placed one over the other and immediately thought this would make a great lamp. We recently launched the lamp and wall sconce and have received a great reaction. It feels solid and simple and is also part of our bespoke program, where you can design your own unique combination of different glass shades and flex cord colours. I am really excited about Lumi and lighting in general, and there are plans to release a Lumi pendant and floor lamp this year too.
bribeglassware.com
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