Designer
José A. Gandía-Blasco Canales
Year
2004
Clack!
The lightweight reinvention of a folding design classic
“CLACK! is an improved version of the traditional wood and canvas folding beach chair, but its structure isn’t wood, it’s aluminium. That’s why it fits equally well into an informal beach setting as in an elegant outdoor dining area.”
José A. Gandía-Blasco Canales
The CLACK! collection, designed by José A. Gandía-Blasco Canales, is a perfect example of how the simplicity and versatility of the Mediterranean lifestyle can be applied to highly functional pieces. Centred around the Clack! folding chair this series reinterprets the iconic director’s chair through a refined and extremely lightweight powder-coated aluminium frame. Its ergonomics and weather resistance are complemented by high-performance fabrics such as Batyline, Moaré, or Grid, alongside the Soft Saint-Tropez options. A sober, elegant, and portable design that brings GANDIABLASCO’s sophistication to any corner of the horizon.
Clack! Folding chair
José A. Gandía-Blasco Canales
The collection
About José A. Gandía-Blasco Canales
José Antonio Gandía-Blasco Canales was born in Ontinyent, Valencia. After studying law at the Valencia University, he joined the family business Gandia Blasco, a blanket manufacturer.
After travelling throughout Spain as a business agent, he began to work on responsibilities in the company. With the help of Marisa Gallén and Sandra Figuerola, designers, Gandia Blasco reshaped the image of the company. The current logo was created, the silhouette of a graceful kitten, as well as the first reversible design carpet collection, which later received the IMPIVA Award 1990 for innovation.
The construction of his summer residence in Ibiza in 1996, and the need to furnish the house with outdoor pieces that complemented their surroundings, sparked José A.’s first venture into furniture design. This creative process gave rise to a cutting-edge outdoor line that remains the hallmark of the GANDIABLASCO brand to this day. The consolidation of this new product range contributed decisively to the company’s diversification strategy.
In 1999 he inherited the company, and started with the definitive structural change.
José A. managed to lead the activities of a solvent family business towards the international benchmark it is today. Experimenting and innovating with materials and shapes, he has been able to turn the ideas of a lover of the Mediterranean culture into a brand image and lifestyle which are well known on the five continents.
Besides being the company president, Jose A. is also its artistic director. He has designed a great majority of the furniture and textile collections that GANDIABLASCO now sells around the world: the ‘DNA’, ‘DNA Teak’, ‘Clip’, ‘Lipstick’ and ‘356’ outdoor collections, accessories such as the ‘Picnic Deckchair’ and ‘Clack! Chair’, as well as a line of lighting products. He has also designed a wide variety of pieces of furniture as part of his vast Outdoor Spaces collection: ‘Daybed’, ‘Sofa Pergola’, ‘Merendero’, ‘Tipi’, as well as their modules and enclosures. He has also designed rugs such as ‘Pack’, ‘Peineta’, ‘Hidra’, ‘Círculos’, ‘Champiñones’ and the ‘Piedras’ duvet, all of which are easily identifiable with the GANDIABLASCO lifestyle.