New York, NY – As Wolf-Gordon continues its year-long 25th-anniversary retrospective, the company turns its focus to a collaboration that bridged the gap between analog surfaces and the digital frontier: Digital Nature by global design icon Karim Rashid. Originally debuted in 2002 to critical acclaim, the collection made manifest Rashid’s philosophy of “sensual minimalism”—a marriage of high-tech digital logic and organic, human forms.
While the anniversary initiative honors Wolf-Gordon’s legacy as the first to bring design and architectural visionaries into commercial wallcovering, the reintroduction of Flexuous highlights a specific era of Y2K optimism and fluid geometry. This “lacy, spacy” collection represented a fusion of then-cutting-edge computer design technologies and motifs drawn from the natural world that could not be created without the use of specialized software. Bridging the gap between avant-garde design development and versatile patterning, the collection captured a moment when everything from design to technology was in flux—translating that energy into patterning that stands the test of time.
Digital Nature arrived at a pivotal moment in history, mirroring the fluid “blobject” movement and the cyber-organic aesthetic that Rashid helped pioneer at the turn of the millennium. Patterns with vertical, jellyfish-like stripy lines, swooping digital shapes reminiscent of leaves, and Futurist gridded topographies replaced the static grids of the era with a sense of infinite movement. These patterns were available in nature-inspired neons and neutral colors alike, and were originally printed with metallic, pearlescent, and flip inks to create a truly one-of-a-kind collection. These designs were so impactful they lifted themselves off the wall and onto the runway when Rashid applied the patterning to a series of minidresses for his Fall 2002 fashion line. The centerpiece of the relaunch is Flexuous , an all-over pattern that is at once futuristic and usable. Created at a time when Geographic Information Systems (now commonly referred to as GPS) were still in development, this sensuous grid takes on the appearance of a retro-futuristic topographical map.
The cartographic elevations and contours carry the eye around the design, which Rashid created using digital design programs when that technology was brand new. Straddling the line between the organic and the geometric, Flexuous was at the cutting edge in 2002; today, more than twenty years later, the pattern’s rhythmic “pulses” and topographic depth feel entirely fresh. For this celebration, Flexuous is re-released in a curated range of colorways, featuring Rashid’s signature high-energy neons alongside new, architectural slates and “digital” whites. Engineered for longevity, these Type II wallcoverings meet the rigors of commercial environments and are made in the USA. Committed to health and transparency, the collection is free of conflict minerals, heavy metals, and PFAs “forever chemicals.” All patterns are CDPH Standard Method 013550 compliant for indoor air quality, with EPDs and HPDs available for all specifications.
About Wolf-Gordon Wolf-Gordon is an American design company offering designers a wide range of interior surfacing products united by the common qualities of excellent design and dependable performance. Founded in 1967 as a comprehensive source for wallcoverings, its product line has since added wall protection, upholstery textiles, paints, and Wink clear, dry-erase coating. Through its collaborations with leading national and international designers and in its Design Studio, Wolf-Gordon continues to develop new work that is provocative, inspiring, and of our time. Wolf-Gordon’s growing portfolio of licensed collections includes designs by Laurinda Spear, Karim Rashid, Petra Blaisse, Grethe Sørensen, Kevin Walz, the Boym Partners, Frank Tjepkema, Mae Engelgeer, Aliki van der Kruijs, and V Starr/Venus Williams. Wolf-Gordon account executives are based in all major markets in the United States.
