K67 – a short design history

The K67 design was introduced in 1966 by the slovenian architect and designer Saša J. Maechtig. After patenting it in 1967 it was prepared for the serial production in 1968 with the first exhibition of prototypes in factory’s provincial town Ljutomer (Slovenia). In April 1970 K67 was published in an English design magazine with the article “Low life from the streets”. Right after that, the Museum of Modern Art in New York included it into its collection of 20th century design. The K67 was commercially very successful and it was exported widely abroad. It was sold in large quantities in the countries of Ex-Yugoslavia, but also to the COMECON countries and some even to the western world (eg. Japan). End of the 1990ies the company which was producing K67 stopped the production due to several reasons.

Saša J. Maechtig was born in 1941. He graduated as an architect at Edward Ravnikar’s studio. Until 1984 he worked freelance, then he started teaching at the Academy of Fine Art & Design at the Ljubljana University. He conceived a new study program in design (1975 – 84) and managed the world ICSID congress in Ljubljana in 1992 under the title “at the crossroads”. He was also member of the CUMULUS board elaborating the “Bologna declaration” (European new educational system).