Cab Chair by Cassina

This was a new kind of chair, constructed totally out of leather, much cloned since then.” Thus Mario Bellini describes Cab, a best-seller that he designed in the 1970s, which is now a signature piece in Cassina’s I Contemporanei collection. Cab was the first-ever chair to feature a free-standing leather structure, inspired by how our skin fits over our skeleton. The upholstery consists of sixteen pieces of saddle leather. Individually die-cut, they then undergo fourteen discrete procedures, again by hand. The pieces are sewn together only when their outer edges have been trimmed to ensure a perfect fit. Once assembled, the cover is attached to the chair’s steel skeleton and held in place by means of a zipper fastening, as in a bespoke tailored garment. Cab is available in a wide variety of colours.

Its upholstery is made up of 21 parts in cowhide that undergo lengthy processing by hand. The upholstery is sewn and hand-fitted to the steel skeleton and closed with a zipper, like a real custom-tailored garment.

Designed by: Mario Bellini
Manufactured by: Cassina
Year of production: 1977