Artek and Hender Scheme present collaborative collection

Artek and Hender Scheme present collaborative collection that explores how natural materials age over time

The collection celebrates Finnish and Japanese handcrafting cultures and is available globally 10 October 2026.

Artek + Hender Scheme in situ Stool 60 stack master

Artek, the Finnish design company co-founded by Aino and Alvar Aalto in 1935, and Hender Scheme, the Tokyo-based contemporary leather shoemaker, present a collaborative collection of furniture, lighting and accessories that explores how natural materials evolve over time.

Rooted in a shared dedication to craftmanship, the collaboration centres on Finnish birch and vegetable-tanned leather, highlighting the unique ways in which both materials change and develop character as they age. The collection was unveiled to the public in an installation at the Tramshed in Shoreditch, East London during London Design Festival, and will be available to buy from 10 October 2026.

The collaboration is based around a shared belief that the life of objects made from natural materials is an ongoing process, where making continues in the hands of those who live with the pieces. Birch and leather develop distinct patinas at their own pace, according to their surrounding environment and how they are used. No two pieces remain the same: their appearance and feel evolve over many years of use.

The playful yet functional nature of the collection is defined by the fitted leather “shoes” applied to the “L-legs” of Alvar Aalto’s furniture designs. Each set is entirely handmade from vegetable-tanned leather and retains the details and characteristics of Hender Scheme’s leather footwear. The tables and stool tops are meanwhile dressed in vegetable-tanned leather and left to age naturally. This is where the patina of the leather is most powerfully presented, recording marks of use and earning a darker shade over time.

Artek + Hender Scheme in situ Stool 60 Table 90C Key Chain 3 master

Elsewhere, Hender Scheme’s concept of NEW CRAFT — where craftmanship and modern technology meet to create new outcomes — is applied to Aalto’s Pendant Light A330 “Golden Bell”. The familiar brass shade is reinterpreted in shaped leather, where a traditional wet form technique is combined with 3D printing, transforming the visual and tactile qualities of the piece while maintaining its form.

Roles are then reversed in a series of vegetable-tanned leather accessories, including a clock, key holder, coasters, which adopt Aino Aalto’s organic “Riihitie” shape. Here, the Aaltos’ signature language is brought into

Hender Scheme’s territory. Subtle refinements, including debossed logos, distinguish these pieces as editions unique to the collaboration, where craft is emphasised and expectations confounded.

Together, Artek and Hender Scheme present a collection that is neither fixed nor finite but defined by its ability to evolve.

Artek + Hender Scheme campaign visual 3 master

About Hender Scheme
Based in Asakusa, Tokyo, Hender Scheme creates leather shoes, bags, accessories and objects.

Hender Scheme practices “NEW CRAFT” — the brand’s creative attitude of new craftsmanship, where its contemporary ideas are realised through the knowledge, experience and techniques of artisans. The brand removes the limits and constraints of theme, season and categorisation, allowing it to pursue ideas and design with freedom. Hender Scheme’s approach extends beyond the boundaries of mode, craft, industry, and art — designing the process of how the products are made and how they are used, not only the product itself.