This Vitra Session tells the shared story of the designer couple Charles and Ray Eames and the furniture manufacturer Vitra, founded by the Fehlbaum family in 1950, and focuses on this special relationship that spans three generations.

More relevant today than ever, the iconic Eames designs reflect the couple’s systemic thinking and focus on an economic use of materials and production techniques. Charles and Ray did not believe in innovation for innovation’s sake, but instead sought to explore real needs and find good solutions through a process of trial and error. As a result, their products have outlived many form-based designs, which fade once the next new trend emerges. The Eameses’ lesson in longevity is the cornerstone of Vitra’s approach to sustainability and provides important guidance and stability in the changing modern world.

As the sole authorised manufacturer of Eames designs in Europe and the Middle East for nearly 70 years, Vitra continues to uphold and nurture this unique partnership.

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All archival images included in the Vitra Session ‘Eames’ are © Eames Office, LLC. Exceptions apply: Introduction Nora Fehlbaum: images 1-3,5 © Vitra; Eames & Vitra animation: 5-12 © Vitra; 15 © Herman Miller; 20-26 © Vitra; 27-28 © J. Paul Getty Trust; 33,37,39-43 © Vitra; 44-49 © Vitra Design Museum; Eames Demetrios interview: 10,12 © Cranbrook Art Museum; 17-18 © Eames Office, LLC and MoMa 22 © Alamy; 35,44-46 © Vitra; Eames Demetrios statement: 1-4 © Vitra; Eames collection: 1-3,5 © Vitra.