Natura July - August 2011 | Page 24

Born from a Moroccan mother and a French father, Younes Duret is an internationally renowned young designer known for his innovative approach to design. Duret studied in Paris at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Création Industrielle (ENSCI) where he had already stood out from the crowd. After graduating, he decided to settle in Marrakech where he now has his own office and continually tries to manifest his two roots through iconic designs. Strongly inspired by the ways and customs of Moroccan lifestyle, his creations are deeply saturated with traditional influences. The bookcase Zelli has the shape of zellige, a traditional ceramic geometric decorative element from Moroccan architecture. He reinvests quotidian objects of Moroccan lifestyle through items such as Canoon, a small space heater that was created from a reinterpretation of Moroccan cooking vessels. Duret’s design is therefore a bridge between time and culture, that develops and perpetuates traditional North African objects and patterns while innovating through a new and pragmatic approach to modern design. TEMMUZ-AĞUSTOS / JULY-AUGUST 20011 • NATURA 25