Alexander Lotersztain Talks “Designing For Millenials”

Les Basic is the brainchild of designer Alexander Lotersztain, who decided to create a brand in response to a growing body of data and research into the intriguing Millenials demographic.

Identified by a number of research specialists, finance and marketing agencies, Milennials see and experience the world in very unique ways. According to investment bankers Goldman Sachs, they are digital natives, social and connected and intensely mobile. They move through a fast-paced world with ease, but make the big steps in life – buying a home, getting married and having children – slowly. The research into Millenials investigates not just their buying habits as a consumer group, but also what motivates and moves them, and what their priority values are.

This data has compelled Lotersztain to develop a new brand that speaks to the demographic in very particular ways. “The boundary between personal and work life is blurring,” he says. “The Millenials are becoming a new class of digital nomads, unburdened by paper and having to pay for their wifi. Young entrepreneurs are blending travel and work like never before, and as such they require basic needs from the environments they frequent, be it the home, hotel, satellite office or a café”.

This assessment aligns with popular opinion in the design community about the dissolving of boundaries between work, home and leisure, which has been referenced in a number of articles, opinion pieces and industry talks. With Les Basic, Lotersztain seeks to cater for this very fluidity, with the important Millenial hooks of wellbeing and meaning-making integrated into each product concept.

“A new way of living wont be possible without careful, sensitive and practical use of design to create products that both service a need, and, more importantly, play an part in emotional wellbeing: simple, techonology-free, and functional,” he says. “What counts cannot be described as aesthetic, but the spirit behind it,” he continues. “Les Basic seeks to create a classic collection with longevity in mind; products that make us feel comfortable, at ease, happy, and not focused on a particular style or excessive ornamentation for design’s sake.”

He describes the brand as ‘a non-brand’, redefining simplicity, honesty and quiet intelligence. “Les Basic is about ‘slow living’, a way of counteracting our digital fast-paced addiction. It’s about quality, connection to natural, noble materials, and authenticity. It’s about paring back to find something we value, something meaningful.”

The launch range comprises seating, table, modular sofa, outdoor dining, lighting and clever accessories, with the product offering planned to naturally evolve and expand.

Les Basic is available exclusively through Living Edge