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Story
From Marie to MoMA
The Vipp story begins in 1939 with a bin for Marie. Holger Nielsen, a young metalworker crafts a sturdy, pedal-controlled bin for his wife's salon. Over the next 50 years it becomes a permanent object in Danish clinics. Today, still family-driven and family-owned, Vipp has grown into a large portfolio of industrial design products developed from the functional philosophy of the pedal bin. In 2009, the bin was accepted into the permanent design collection at the MoMA in New York - the only place in the world where the bin is just for decoration.
1932
Luck is all you need
On a spring Sunday in 1932, 17-year-old Holger Nielsen wins a car in a lottery at the local football stadium. Holger loves cars, but has no driver's license, so he decides to sell the car and invest the money in a metal lathe that allows him to work with one of his great passions - steel.
1930s
Metal factory
As a newly educated metal smith with a newly invested methal lathe, Holger builds his own metal factory in the small Danish town of Randers.
1930s
Ballroom dancer and metal worker
Withdrawn in his metal workshop during the day and a vivacious ballroom dance instructor after dark, Holger believed that you could learn anything your set your mind to. His father being a coppersmith, Holger grew curious of good craftsmanship and was educated as a metal smith in the 1930s.
Not for sale
The Vipp bin was never intended to be sold. Originally, it was made as a tool for Marie’s salon only. However, many wives of doctors and dentists have their hair done at Marie’s salon and find the practical Vipp bin ideal for their husbands’ clinics. The request for more bins prompted Holger to start production on a larger scale.
Holger Nielsen, Vipp founder
‘Good design never goes out of fashion.’
1950s
For professionals only
In the 1940s and 1950s, the pedal bin becomes a permanent feature in Danish clinics and remains a prerogative for the professional market for the next 50 years. A skilled metal smith, Holger equipped the whole of Marie's hair salon with solid steel products that later went into production. Here, pictured in an ad from the 1950s, are holders for hairdryers and tissues.
1950s
Vintage advertising
In the 1940s and 1950s, the pedal bin becomes a permanent feature in Danish clinics and remains a prerogative for the professional market for the next 50 years. Here, pictured in an ad from the 1950s, is Holger's 'Hilton' bin.
1956
I forgot to ask my father why he named it Vipp
In Danish, 'vippe' means 'to tilt'; it describes the movement of a bin lid. Jette Egelund, daughter of Holger Nielsen, is convinced that this must have been her father's inspiration for the name.
1992
Starting from scratch
In 1992, Jette takes over her father's company with only one other employee working in the metal factory. Here she learns how to produce bins all from scratch.
1995
A 3rd generation family company
Having grown up with the bin used in her childhood home, Jette has a dream - she wants others to enjoy the bin in their home as well. Together with her two children, Kasper and Sofie, she sets out to bring Holger’s principles of functionality into the private home.
2015
Family-founded, family-driven
20 years later, Vipp is still family-driven. Kasper’s education within business and leadership means he today acts as CEO of Vipp. Sofie has an education in graphic design and has developed Vipp’s visual identity.
2000
A new kind of customer
With the Vipp bin under her arm, Jette does something her father never did - visits customers. She visits the finest furniture and design shops in Scandinavia. In Denmark, very few recognise the potential of a “dentist bin”, but Jette’s determination is rewarded. Abroad the bin is recognized for its Danish, industrial design and when The Conran Shop orders bins for their London and Paris stores, Jette knows she is on the right track.
2006
A growing family of tools
In 2006, Vipp's in-house design team was entrusted the task of carrying Holger’s legacy into the future. The first Vipp product was a laundry basket.
2010
Salt and pepper
Since 1939, the Vipp product family has grown into a wide range of products for the kitchen and bathroom including a series of light instruments.
2015
Light instruments
Since 1939, the Vipp product family has grown into a wide range of products for the kitchen and bathroom including a series of light instruments.
2017
Tray
Since 1939, the Vipp product family has grown into a wide range of products for the kitchen and bathroom including a series of light instruments.
Logo evolution
1930s
The first Vipp logo was handwritten by Vipp founder, Holger Nielsen. He altered it twice during the 1950s and 1970s, after which his daughter, Jette, modernised it in the 1990s. Since 2000, Vipp has sticked to the same logo designed by Holger's granddaughter, Sofie Egelund, who is educated as a graphic designer.
Logo evolution
1950s
The first Vipp logo was handwritten by Vipp founder, Holger Nielsen. He altered it twice during the 1950s and 1970s, after which his daughter, Jette, modernised it in the 1990s. Since 2000, Vipp has sticked to the same logo designed by Holger's granddaughter, Sofie Egelund, who is educated as a graphic designer.
Logo evolution
1970s
The first Vipp logo was handwritten by Vipp founder, Holger Nielsen. He altered it twice during the 1950s and 1970s, after which his daughter, Jette, modernised it in the 1990s. Since 2000, Vipp has sticked to the same logo designed by Holger's granddaughter, Sofie Egelund, who is educated as a graphic designer.
Logo evolution
1990s
The first Vipp logo was handwritten by Vipp founder, Holger Nielsen. He altered it twice during the 1950s and 1970s, after which his daughter, Jette, modernised it in the 1990s. Since 2000, Vipp has sticked to the same logo designed by Holger's granddaughter, Sofie Egelund, who is educated as a graphic designer.
Logo evolution
2000s
The first Vipp logo was handwritten by Vipp founder, Holger Nielsen. He altered it twice during the 1950s and 1970s, after which his daughter, Jette, modernised it in the 1990s. Since 2000, Vipp has sticked to the same logo designed by Holger's granddaughter, Sofie Egelund, who is educated as a graphic designer.
2011
The first concept store
In December 2011, Vipp opened its doors to the first Vipp concept store in the centre of Copenhagen.
2019
A Complete Collection of Furniture
Our recent venture into architectural projects like the Vipp Hotel has prompted the desire to develop a complete collection of furniture to inhabit these spaces. Through a tactile approach, a new, softer layer is added to our trademark material through 80 years – steel.
2019
A Complete Collection of Furniture
Our recent venture into architectural projects like the Vipp Hotel has prompted the desire to develop a complete collection of furniture to inhabit these spaces. Through a tactile approach, a new, softer layer is added to our trademark material through 80 years – steel.
2019
A Complete Collection of Furniture
Our recent venture into architectural projects like the Vipp Hotel has prompted the desire to develop a complete collection of furniture to inhabit these spaces. Through a tactile approach, a new, softer layer is added to our trademark material through 80 years – steel.
