The grandeur of an urban structure that has remained almost unchanged since the heart of the Middle Ages: its compact layout, its winding and parallel roads, its arcades and the meanders of the Aar River. The Bern clutch, designed by Odo Fioravanti for Maison 203, is indeed inspired by the unique peculiarity of the topography of Bern, the Swiss city that is a Unesco World Cultural Heritage Site.

In this clutch – exclusively made of 3D printed sintered nylon – a series of rounded blades seem to stem from an initial circular central point and then multiply creating the clutch, dominated by the structural rhythm imposed by the gaps between an oval shape and the next. Thus, the visual result is a pulsating and dynamic pattern developed by matching bending parallel lines, reproduced to capture the unique urban structure of the Swiss capital.

A small sculpture in 3D print, the surface of the Bern clutch reproduces an optical effect that allows it to change its aspect depending on the observation point and to convey a constantly changing dynamic shape image: any reference to the medieval urban landscape turn this bag into an object of contemporary beauty characterised by almost futuristic echoes.

The analogy with the city continues: so, just as the elegant rows of buildings along the circular streets of Bern give the impression of a perfectly homogeneous set, similarly the rounded blades of the clutch create a uniform structure, that strengthens and conceals the bag clasp. Available in metallic black, copper and gold, the clutch – in 21 x 16 x 6 cm size – is completed by a thin metal chain so it can also be worn as a shoulder bag.

Bern, the third clutch designed by Odo Fioravanti for Maison 203, completes the collection of accessories bearing the same name, featuring 5 astonishing items: a necklace, a bracelet, earrings in two different sizes and cuff links. Presented for the first time at the January edition of Maison et Objet (Hall 7, stand C44), the Bern clutch will be soon available at Maison 203’s flagship store in Venice on Via Ruga Vecchia San Giovanni 419 and through the maison203.com brand’s online shop.

Design: Odo Fioravanti