There is no mistaking Christopher John Rogers’s new chair line with Orior for anything but Christopher John Rogers. There’s his gradient dot print (worn sensationally in matching set form by Anne Hathaway earlier this year) splashed across the Irish furniture brand’s Lia chair, and his signature rainbow checks rendered in linen over another. One design is a mastery of mixed motifs, juxtaposing a black-and-white checkerboard with zebra stripes all in a single piece. “I wanted to take our iconic prints and plug them into things that are iconic for Orior as well,” Rogers tells Vogue.
When it came to his first-ever furniture collection, Rogers wanted to make sure his brand’s wild originality was on full display, but without sacrificing functionality. “I like to keep things simple—classic, comfortable—while also incorporating a little bit of eclecticism,” he says. So he decided to take four of Orior’s best-selling chairs, known for their adaptability and versatility, and stamp them with his fantastical patterns. “In the collection, the shapes themselves are quite classic and simple in a way,” Rogers adds. “What makes them declarative is the mix and the colors.”
(Meanwhile, 100 percent of the proceeds from the collection will go to grassroot nonprofits that were recommended to Rogers by Color of Change, an organization that aims to strengthen and support Black communities in the United States.)
Rogers and creative director of Orior Ciaran McGuigan first met while attending Savannah College of Art and Design, keeping in touch after both of them respectfully advanced in their fields. During the pandemic, McGuigan asked Rogers if he’d like to try his hand at furniture. The fashion designer jumped at the chance. “This is evidence of our first intentional break from ready-to-wear,” Rogers says. “It’s a wonderful first impression, I think.”
The collection is available online, or at Orior’s New York City showroom.
Written by Elise Taylor
This article originally appeared on Vogue US
