VLADIMIR KAGAN is eighty years young and still going strong. The design icon and visionary for more than half a century has open his first new showroom in twenty-five years on April 7th, 2008 in The New York Design Center at 200 Lexington Ave. The showroom, located in Suite 510, will provide a showcase for The Vladimir Kagan Couture Collection.

The Couture Collection encompasses approximately twenty VLADIMIR KAGAN designs including the multi purpose Omnibus Seating Series, offering a multiplicity of configuration options to suit any room requirement. The Hampton Serpentine Sofa and its companion, the Crescent, will show their graceful curves on the floor, while La Ronde and the Barrel Chair display their generous proportions. Stretch out on the ageless and timeless VK Chaise or wrap yourself in the plush Embrace Sofa. A touch of whimsy is added to the mix with the Tri-symmetric Stool. These are only a few of the enduring designs that will be available in the new showroom.

VK Chaise	La Ronde	Hampton Serpentine	Barrel Chair

Inspired by the elements in nature and the voluptuous curves of the female anatomy, Vladimir says, “My furniture serves as a vessel for the human form.” Imaginative sculptural shapes with clean, beautiful lines offer the ultimate in comfort and are the essence of the Kagan aesthetic. He was incorporating ergonomic features into his furniture designs long before it became a trend with other designers.

As with all Vladimir Kagan furniture, each item is manufactured with the meticulous attention to detail for which he is famous. All furniture in the line is crafted in his New Jersey factory, utilizing premium hand selected materials such as solid maple, horse hair and down. Upholstery consists of fabrics from Kagan Textiles, a refreshing new collection of simple and elegant fabrics, perfectly suited to his furniture.

When discussing this new project, his eyes sparkle. “ This is my renaissance. I am thrilled to be opening in The New York Design Center which is the right venue for my Couture Collection.”

Born in Worms, Germany in 1927, VLADIMIR KAGAN immigrated to The United States in 1938 with his family. He studied architecture at Columbia University and later went on to work in his father’s woodworking shop where he began to develop his unique personal style. He opened his first showroom on East 65th Street in 1949, later moving to the fashionable East 57th Street location in 1950.

His award winning designs have been published in books and magazines worldwide and are in permanent collections in the Brooklyn Museum, The Cooper Hewitt, The V&A, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Pasadena Art Institute, Chicago’s Athenaeum, Vitra Design Museum and Die Neue Sammlung. He has created designs for such luminaries as Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Xavier Cougat, Lily Pons, Gary Cooper, Isaac Stern, Andy Warhol, Robert Maplethorpe, Donna Karen, as well as corporate clients such as Walt Disney, General Electric, Monsanto, the government of Venezuela, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the list goes on.