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CZ / EN

2010 —— 2021

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The birth of a european brand
By 2010 TON was ready to embark on a renaissance – ready to free itself of the challenges of the past, to implement bold plans for changing the company’s design, portfolio and character, and to embrace its European and global customers on the road to ultimate success. The rebirth of the Czech consumer industry played an important role in this regard, as the industry as a whole began to appreciate the importance of design and marketing. Within TON, design and marketing were overseen by the current CEO Milan Dostalík as well as the former Marketing Director Jan Juza. Working together with a team of creative advisors, Juza was responsible for implementing the brand’s new visual identity, which has featured since 2010 in TON’s advertising campaigns and the company’s corporate style. The ground had thus been laid for TON and the production facility in Bystřice pod Hostýnem to collaborate with talented designers and to introduce the products emerging from their collaborations onto the world stage.
The Slovak designer Michal Riabič served as TON’s Art Director between 2012 and 2017, and during this time oversaw the development of several successful chair models that have become the backbone of the current product portfolio. The present Art Director is Alexander Gufler, who designed the Merano chair series, one of the most successful collections in TON’s current catalogue. By combining great design, Studio Marvil’s compelling visual style, and the creative efforts of the entire TON team, furniture manufacturing in Bystřice pod Hostýnem has once again reached the pinnacle of European furniture production. Evidence abounds in the many prizes awarded to TON in prestigious competitions like Good Design and Red Dot, new showrooms popping up in European cities, advertisements published in prestigious magazines, and the company’s engagement in important trade fairs around the globe.
Marketing campaign for Ginger, an armchair designed by the Spanish studio YONOH.
Arik Levy with his Split chair. The photograph was featured in a renowned magazine.
Detail of a bend for chair No.4.

Current production

Even in the era of digital technology, TON chairs are still made with traditional techniques. The current production facility also includes an upholstery workshop and a product testing department, where chairs are tested according to international norms for durability and strength.
A seat-bending machine called ‘sádlík’, designed and manufactured in the Bystřice factory.
Take a look at today’s wood bending workshop in the Bystřice pod Hostýnem factory through a 360° video.

New visual identity

In 2009 TON began to collaborate with Studio Marvil, a graphic design studio established in 1995 by the designer Pavel Zelenka. Following their first assignment on catalogues titled TON Journal, Studio Marvil took on overall creative direction of the company’s graphic presentations.
Studio Marvil has been responsible for the look and feel of TON catalogues for the past few years.
TON’s exhibition stand at the IMM Cologne trade fair in 2020.
Interview with Arik Levy

SPLITTING BENTWOOD

Israel-born and Paris-based designer Arik Levy is a leader among designers of his generation. Before exploring bentwood in Bystřice pod Hostýnem, Arik designed dozens of furniture pieces. In 2015 he created the Split collection for TON, in which he integrated the bentwood tradition with his dynamic, structurally refined design.
Read the interview

2021 —— ?

Vision of the future
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