Artek and Hender Scheme Collaborate on Leather-Wrapped Design Classics

Finnish furniture company Artek has unveiled its debut collaboration with Tokyo-based leather brand Hender Scheme, a series of eight products that blend modernist design with Japanese craftsmanship. The collection includes leather-wrapped tops for classic stools and tables, 'shoes' for Alvar Aalto's L-legs, a leather-clad 'A330 Golden Bell' pendant light, and accessories inspired by Aino Aalto's 'Riihitie' ceramic plant pots. The pieces will be exhibited at London Design Festival 2026 and released globally on 10 October 2026. The collaboration, which took almost five years to develop, was initiated after Hender Scheme founder Ryo Kashiwazaki created a leather study of the 'Uten.Silo' storage system, which impressed Artek's managing director. Kashiwazaki, who founded Hender Scheme in 2010 in Asakusa, Tokyo, emphasizes the concept of 'timeline'—products are not finished at the point of sale but are completed by the user through ageing and daily use. The collection explores the dialogue between Finnish wild birch and vegetable-tanned leather, both materials that patinate over time. Kashiwazaki also runs Sukima, a gallery and creative space in Kuramae, Tokyo, which operates on an exchange system rather than commission.