The designers Werner Sauer (left) and Klaus Franck at "their" FS in autumn 1980. Photos: Wilkhahn
It is the office chair that has cultivated sitting in motion in an exemplary way. It has survived generations of high office and politicians and has helped overcome many crises. It is considered an example of sustainable product design. It was Wilkhahn's first "world product" and the engine of international success. And to this day, it accompanies hundreds of thousands of people around the world through life as a faithful and dear friend. In the mid-1970s, the Wilkhahn designers Klaus Franck and Werner Sauer had the ingenious idea of attaching a highly flexible seat shell like a hammock between the front swivel axle and synchronous motion swivel arms. Initially without any mechanism and only spring-loaded armrests, the Wilkhahn FS thus became a milestone in the development of office chairs. The range, which has been in production since 1981 and is named after the first letters of the two designers, represented the principle of moving seats in contrast to the heavy "seating machines" that were common at the time.
As early as 1998, the renowned design journalist Elke Trappschuh dedicated a monograph to it. Right: Werner Sauer at the FS as a young designer (1981) and on his "20th birthday" as dean at the HAWK in Hildesheim/Holzminden/Göttingen (2000). Photos: Wilkhahn
The fact that the FS is still one of the best from an ergonomic point of view was demonstrated in a study by the Health Center of the German Sports University in Cologne. It featured the remarkable "Range of Motion," the enormous range of motion, of the FS line. Decades before others thought of it, the back already had exemplary three-dimensional flexibility that remains exemplary today.
But the FS line is more than "just" ergonomics, it is also synonymous with first-class design: already in 1998 a separate monograph was dedicated to it in the "Design Classics" book series. The FS 220 "executive chair series", with its spring steel frame and exquisite upholstery technology, has helped and continues to help top officials and statesmen through many crises, from Helmut Kohl and Gerhard Schröder to today's cabinet. . Even the former "Première Dame" of France, Carla Bruni, used the FS at the Élysée Palace in Paris to combine wholesome comfort with sovereign discretion.
Turn "old" into "new": After loosening the two screws that connect the seat shell and the swivel arms, the seat shell, including the upholstery, can be easily replaced. Photos: Wilkhahn
Last but not least, the Wilkhahn FS is considered an example of sustainable product design. Extremely robust, durable and with virtually no maintenance, the office chair can last for generations. And it is that, instead of betting solely on the production and sale of new office chairs, Wilkhahn has offered for decades the possibility of updating existing models at any time, both technically and visually. It is not for nothing that many banks and public authorities in South Africa, for example, continue to trust the Wilkhahn FS to this day. Like many customers around the world, they take advantage of the offer to give their FS a second or even third chance. Because while all the energy and material intensive components can be reused almost indefinitely, the chair looks like new once the upholstery and cover have been replaced.
Under the title "The Chair of the Generation", Wilkhahn highlights the qualities of this classic chair, especially for the home office, on the occasion of its 40th anniversary. The juxtaposition of historical and current pictorial compositions addresses the generations that were then children or not even born. How nice that the FS can demonstrate so impressively that, in view of climate change and responsibility for resources, it is probably even more relevant today than it was on the first day. A chair also for the generations of tomorrow!
Happy birthday Wilkhahn FS!
