One of the most eye-catching propositions on show at Indonesia’s IFEX exhibition earlier in March was Kooc Kreasi, a Yogyakarta-based manufacturer specialising in industrial and vintage furniture, employing reclaimed timbers and metals to great effect –from locker cabinets to worn, painted surfaces, Kooc Kreasi is both futuristic and natural, informal and artistic.
Kooc Kreasi is the creation of Olivier Lalmand, an entrepreneur, businessman and artist who enjoys the chance to catch up with his business partners – many of which have consequently become good friends – at the annual exhibition in Jakarta.
“We spend four days here in order to have fun,” says Olivier, “and to make sure our customers do the same. We don’t talk prices!”
In the UK, Kooc Kreasi is exclusively represented by supplier Bluebone Imports, which distributes its product in the form of the Titanic range. The relationship was formed three years ago when Bluebone recognised the potential of the product for the UK market, and an initial order quickly became a schedule of regular containers.
Despite his cool approach to exhibitions, Olivier admits that he benefits a great deal from contact with his extensive network of business partners. “Everybody has their own idea of business,” he says, “so there’s always something to be learned.”
Olivier’s background is a colourful story, excerpts of which include design and production work for Singapore’s d-Bodhi, and surviving on the streets of Paris – “a good experience, but I don’t want to do it again!”
“I stopped wanting to be a soccer player at 19, due to a broken leg” he says. “I then became a cook, but quickly found that the work each day started much earlier than the restaurants opened! After 12 years, I went travelling to Asia. In Bali, my room was sacked and I lost my passport. During the three weeks it took to renew it, I spent a lot of time looking around the local handicraft shops, and decided that the products could be sold into Europe.”
While selling goods from Indonesia and India into Europe, Olivier formed a partnership with a French furniture manufacturer and began to learn more about the local business. He moved to Yogyakarta to sell lamps made from recycled elements in 2005, then started selling his own furniture in 2008.
Despite having no formal training, Olivier has built an empire that employs approximately 400 staff. His management style is straightforward, cultivating loyalty by rewarding consistently hard-working members of staff. He has even purchased a fleet of motorbikes, making it easier for them to reach the factory.
“Good workers can build a future with me,” he says. “But they’ve got to be loyal – I only do my best if they do their best. Once people start to believe you, they support you. I have a good foundation of people, knowledge and infrastructure, but I want to reduce this base over the next five years, as I believe I can still maintain the same output with my best staff in place.”
IFEX, part of an international exhibition schedule that also takes in Paris and Melbourne, saw Kooc Kreasi formally introduce its Symbioz range, a brightly-coloured collection that, Olivier concedes, could benefit from a few more extreme shapes and forms.
The best-seller is a simple cupboard on legs – simple, but original in Kooc Kreasi’s style.
“People running businesses tend to think about price, capacity and efficiency, and about how they can streamline these elements each year. I am the opposite. I increase price, and increase inefficiencies, if the design demands it!”
Exclusive Kooc Kreasi distributor to the UK and Republic of Ireland, Bluebone Imports, will be present at May Design Series, taking place at London’s ExCeL between 18-20th May, on stand B360.
