What keeps a design brand relevant over the years? In an increasingly competitive market, remaining a benchmark takes much more than good products: it takes a culture, a set of relationships and a way of working.
That was the underlying question at the latest edition of Lagranja Design’s Open Design Talks, held on 30 September at its space on Carrer Pamplona in Barcelona. Under the title “Design, craft and the brands that endure”, the event brought together three voices who know the industry from different angles:
- Javier Marset, of Marset
- Toni Navarro, creative director of Kettal
- Edgar Cubiñá, CEO and fourth generation of Cubiñá
In front of a full room, the conversation was accompanied by images of pieces and projects that helped bring each idea to life.
Internal culture, the first change
One of the ideas that resonated most was that the hardest thing to transform in a company is not the product, but its culture. Changing the mindset of teams with many years of experience, and making sure everyone, from those who manufacture to those who design or sell, understands that they are working with a product that demands detail and sensitivity.
From the brands’ side, the speakers argued that, in many cases, it has been design itself that has driven this change and redefined the brand.
Opening the doors to the designer
The relationship between brand and designer also took up a good part of the talk. For a collaboration to really work, the brand has to open up: share its strengths, its technology and the way it works. That is only possible with designers committed for the long term, who get to know the company in depth and build a consistent line with it over time.
The view from distribution
Edgar Cubiñá brought the perspective of someone who works with many brands at once, every day. One of the great challenges of multi-brand distribution is finding the balance: offering a wide catalogue while narrowing it down enough to work on each project in depth.
The panel also discussed how joint work between distributors and manufacturers is becoming increasingly common. In that exchange, those in direct contact with architects, interior designers and clients bring something very valuable to brands: a real sense of what the market needs.
That is exactly how we see our role at Cubiñá: supporting professionals and clients on every project, and acting as a bridge between them and the brands we work with.
Brands that endure
The event left one clear conclusion: the brands that endure are not the ones that chase every trend, but those that care for their culture, build relationships of trust with designers and distributors, and listen to those who are in contact with the end client.
Thank you to Lagranja Design for opening this space for conversation, to Javier Marset and Toni Navarro for sharing the stage and their experience, and to everyone who filled the room.
