Porsche Pepita Edition by Vitra

Swiss maker of designer furniture, is producing three of its iconic chairs in a limited-edition run for Porsche. Upholstered in the sports car manufacturer’s original Pepita fabric, the classics will be unveiled at Milan’s ‘The Art of Dreams‘ event, which takes place at Palazzo Clerici from 16 - 21 April.

Both family-owned companies, Vitra and Porsche are united by more than just their shared passion for exceptional design and technology. Some of their success stories began at the same time, with the fulfilment of a dream: in 1948, Charles and Ray Eames entered a chair with a one-piece seat and back in a competition at the Museum of Modern Art. At a time when plastic was still seen as an innovation, this armrest chair made design history. That same year, Ferry Porsche realised his vision of a sports car and, together with his team, designed the Porsche 356 ‘No. 1’ Roadster.

As part of the product partnership for the Porsche Pepita Edition by Vitra, Vitra is now manufacturing three limited-edition chairs for the sports car manufacturer. A special feature of these pieces is that they are covered in Porsche’s original Pepita fabric. The iconic houndstooth pattern is made up of small squares connected by diagonal stripes. Pepita was first available as an official option in a Porsche 911 in 1965. Previously, it had been offered as a special option in the final phase of the Porsche 356, but only on request and very occasionally. Most recently, Pepita was offered in the 2022 911 Sport Classic – the second of the Heritage Design collector’s items.

The Porsche Pepita Edition by Vitra includes the ‘Eames Plastic Side Chair Pepita Edition’, the ‘ID Trim L Pepita Edition’ and the ‘Petit Repos Pepita Edition’. The latter two modern chairs were designed by the Milanese architect and designer Antonio Citterio.

“The Porsche Pepita Edition by Vitra is a symbiosis of the DNA of our companies: iconic design paired with excellent craftsmanship and compelling function,” says Robert Ader, Chief Marketing Officer at Porsche AG. “The timeless Pepita pattern gives the chairs a very striking appearance, whether in your own living room or in the office.”

The chairs will be on public display for the first time as part of the ongoing ‘The Art of Dreams‘ event in Milan, from 16 - 21 April. This latest instalment of the worldwide exhibition series focuses on geometry, symmetry, rhythm and repetition. Inspired by the Pepita pattern, artists from a range of disciplines will be working with these themes. Among them is the collective Numen/For Use with the interactive Lines of Flight sculpture.