Cristián Mohaded: design as cultural translation

13 July 2026

For Cristián Mohaded, a designer is first and foremost a translator: someone who absorbs languages, memories, and cultures and transforms them into projects capable of engaging with the identity of the companies they collaborate with. Born in Catamarca, in the north of Argentina, Mohaded brings into his work a deep connection to the landscapes, craftsmanship, and material culture of his homeland, reinterpreting them through a contemporary lens.

From collaborations with Molteni&C and Meritalia® to projects for international brands, his approach builds bridges between cultural heritage and innovation, personal storytelling and industrial language, creating objects that resonate emotionally and endure over time.

Growing up in Argentina, surrounded by its landscapes, craftsmanship, and cultural traditions, how did your place of birth shape your sensitivity toward materials, forms, and storytelling in design?

Growing up in Argentina has given my way of seeing design a very emotional and instinctive approach. I’m from Catamarca, in the Northwest in Argentina and that landscape stays with me constantly. Even today, when I work on international projects, my origins are very present. I like creating pieces where materiality speaks naturally, and craft lives in a contemporary way.

Looking back at your education and early experiences, what were the most defining moments in your formation as a designer, and how did they influence the direction of your practice today?

I believe my formation as a designer is an ongoing process, and I’ll always continue learning. There is always something new to discover, understand, or refine. One of the most significant parts in my formation was leaving Catamarca and moving to Cordoba to study Industrial Design. Travelling through Argentina was also essential, visiting artisans from different communities and seeing materials were transformed by hand, completely changing my understanding of design. There is an intelligence in craftsmanship that is difficult to teach academically. Later on came another stage of my formation where I began to collaborate with brands internationally. I realized I needed to translate a very personal and local language into projects for companies that already had a very iconic brand language. That process pushed me to become clearer about my identity as a designer.

You have collaborated with brands that carry a strong heritage and identity, such as Meritalia®, Molteni&C, cc-tapis, Moooi, and Wiener GTV Design. How do you balance respect for a company’s legacy with your desire to introduce a contemporary and personal vision?

The first and main thing for me begins with observing, listening and truly understanding that company’s legacy and language. I’m very respectful of heritage and how it can dialogue between past and present. I always try to incorporate my own language into every project. The best collaborations happen when this union feels natural for both sides, when you can recognize the identity of the company but also feel that a new perspective has entered the conversation.

At the latest Salone del Mobile, you presented the Corsetto armchair for Molteni&C. Could you tell us about the concept behind the project and the inspiration that guided its sculptural and tactile character?

Corsetto was born when exploring the tension between softness and structure. I wanted to create a piece that felt almost as if it had been squeezed into form. Full, rounded volumes that express comfort and warmth, yet are defined by a sense of structure with this leather sort of ‘corset’. I wanted the piece to have a strong sculptural presence, but without losing warmth or comfort. Materiality also plays an important role in the project. The dialogue between leather and fabric helps reinforce these contrasting qualities.

Corsetto seems to combine comfort, craftsmanship, and a strong visual presence in a very balanced way. What was the biggest challenge in translating this idea into a finished piece, and what aspects of the design are you most proud of?

I’d say one of the biggest challenges might be translating those large, continuous curves into a finished industrial product. That required a great deal of development with the company and artisans involved.
Another important aspect was comfort. Sometimes highly sculptural pieces can lose their ergonomic quality, so it was essential that Corsetto remained truly comfortable and natural to inhabit. What I am most proud of is probably that sense of tension the piece holds. That feeling of compressing a softer volume was essential in communicating the concept and I believe I think it communicates the emotional and tactile dimension that I always try to bring into my work.

With Hug for Meritalia®, you explore discontinuity as a design element through non-uniform modules and intentionally irregular forms. How did this research originate, and what does it allow you to express compared to a more rigorous and conventional design language?

‘Hug’ originates from wanting to build a landscape of fragments that come together architecturally, as if the sofa´s sections were fractured, partitioned and intentionally non-uniform. It was never my intention to correct discontinuity but to embrace it, becoming the source of the pieces’ character. These oppositions and contrasts generate a rhythm, a measured tension that gives the composition a softened geometric postmodern feel. ‘Hug’ has a youthful, practical, relaxed attitude which was my way of dialogue with Meritalia®’s identity.

For the same company, Eyes, seem, on the other hand, to revolve around an almost optical perception of space, shaped by reflections, overlaps, and transparencies. How important is it in your approach to create objects that continuously change in relation to light and the surrounding environment?

I like the idea that an object can establish a dialogue with its surroundings and with the person observing it. In ‘Eyes’, repetition and rhythm create a visual effect where geometry begins to shift and almost become an illusion. What may seem solid or fixed at first gradually changes as the light moves or as you change your point of view. For me, that sense of transformation keeps an object alive. It invites people to engage with it over time, discovering new layers, depths, and details rather than understanding it all at once.

Meritalia® has always represented a free, experimental, and deeply unconventional reality, collaborating with figures such as Gaetano Pesce and other protagonists of radical design. How did this spirit influence your work, and how important is it today, in your opinion, to leave room for imperfection, irony, and expressive freedom in contemporary design?

To me, design is not only about solving a function but it is also about provoking curiosity, emotion, and dialogue. That is something Meritalia® has always understood, and it is one of the reasons why working with the brand felt so natural. I think it is increasingly important to leave room for imperfection, individuality, and expressive freedom in contemporary design. Imperfection, when it is intentional and controlled, brings character and humanity. It tells a story and creates a stronger emotional connection with the piece.

Your studio brings together different disciplines, sensibilities, and creative perspectives. How is teamwork organized within your practice, and how do collaboration and dialogue influence the development of your projects?

Every project at my studio begins with a conversation, references and material exploration. Dialogue I believe is fundamental in any studio. Design today is multidisciplinary, art, architecture, craftsmanship and fashion all intersect in our work. Collaboration allows for projects to evolve in unexpected directions and become richer through collective thinking. Even though many voices may be involved, as founder and creative director of the studio, my identity and design perspective is present in everything that’s presented from the studio.

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