Manufacturer · Czech Republic · Litomyšl · est. 1950
Vertex
Vertex (est. 1950) – national enterprise from Litomyšl producing fibreglass products, including laminate chairs designed by Miroslav Navrátil.
Set of 4 chairs, designed by Miroslav Navratil for Vertex, 1960s
About the manufacturer
- Years active
- est. 1950
- Country
- Czech Republic
- Location
- Litomyšl
Vertex was established in 1950 as a national enterprise in Litomyšl. The factory specialised in fibreglass products. In 1998, the company joined the Saint-Gobain group and operates as Saint-Gobain Adfors CZ, producing glass, polyester and combined fibres used as reinforcing materials in construction and industry. The name Vertex survived as a brand of fibreglass meshes, now designated ADFORS Vertex®.
In 1959, in cooperation with the Brno-based Vývoj nábytkářského průmyslu, Vertex introduced a chair with a shell-shaped seat made of glass laminate, mounted on a slender metal base or wooden legs. The designer was Miroslav Navrátil – son of a cabinetmaker from Uherské Hradiště, designer and development employee of Vývoj nábytkářského průmyslu, whose television armchair was recognised at the 12th Triennale in Milan in 1960. The chair came to be known by the manufacturer's name.
From 1964, similar laminate seats on metal bases were installed in Prague trams; this version was developed by the plastics centre ČKD Praha and produced by Plastimat in Hradec Králové. Vertex chairs are held in the collections of the Moravian Gallery in Brno.
