Introducing Wallpaper* January 2023: The Future Issue

January is just around the corner as we put the finishing touches on this issue, which looks to the future of the creative industries. And what better time than the dawn of a new year to turn the spotlight on rising stars. We showcase ten next-generation furniture designers who have made us sit up and take notice. Their work is not only exhilarating in appearance – ranging from a lamp inspired by climbing equipment to a wavy raw-finish aluminium modesty screen and squiggly, stackable seating units – but also thoughtfully conceived, often made locally and, in some cases, taking advantage of distributed manufacturing.

Our architecture pages are likewise devoted to ten up-and-comers, this time from across West Africa. With its rich cultures and rapid demographic and economic growth, this part of the world has been a cradle for creativity, ‘the perfect laboratory for initiating projects that champion an innovative, affordable and sustainable version of the future,’ describes Limbo Accra, one of the featured spatial design studios. 

We also round up four emerging labels representing the new fashion vanguard, and then call on photographer Sophie Meuresch – recently shortlisted for the Dior Photography Award for Young Talents – for our main fashion story, which she shot at her old art school in Leipzig and features the season’s standout looks modelled by three of her friends.

Meanwhile, our arts desk delves into the rise of generative art, defined by AI-powered design programs that work within parameters established by human artists to generate almost infinite outcomes. We profile Refik Anadol (our limited-edition cover artist), who recently unveiled a ‘living painting’ at MoMA that visualises the dreams of an AI that has studied the museum’s collection, and take a look at fellow pioneers of human-machine artistic collaboration. 

The same forward-thinking slant is evident in the latest chapter of our Trip series, dedicated to Athens, which ‘is breaking away from an over-edited, idealised, antiquity-driven image’, as Greece’s Deputy Minister of Culture and Sports Nicholas Yatromanolakis tells us. Our architecture editor Ellie Stathaki teamed up with photographer Ilaria Orsini to deliver a 14-page feature on the city’s revitalised urban landscape, alluring hospitality offerings and cultural transformation as it enters a new golden age.

Special thanks go to Moët & Chandon, our partner on this issue’s next generation content. Its new Natura Nostra programme aims to plant 100km of ecological corridors in Champagne by 2027, an important move to safeguard production amid a changing climate. 

And a tip of the hat, too, to Ole Scheeren, who has worked with us on a 24-page section to mark his first major solo exhibition, ‘ole scheeren : spaces of life’, at the ZKM Center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe, Germany. The section is titled ‘form follows fiction’, revealing the thought process behind his game-changing architectural practice, and inspiring confidence that a better built environment can lead to a brighter future.

Bill Prince
Acting Editor-in-Chief

The January 2023 issue of Wallpaper* is available from 8 December in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today