Apparatus is preparing to expand its international presence with a new showroom in Miami, while cofounder Gabriel Hendifar prepares to unveil his first collection in five years, titled Act V: Afsaneh.
The lighting and design firm plans to open its Miami location in February, following the launch of its first international showroom in London in 2023. Hendifar said the company is putting the finishing touches on the new space, which will serve a city with an increasingly vibrant arts and design community.
“We’ve got a lot cooking. Miami’s another great market for us and it’s another place with a really beautifully, deeply ingrained community of artists and musicians. And sometimes you just need a little heat,” Hendifar said in an interview.
Gabriel Hendifar Draws on Family History for New Collection
The designer’s latest collection, Act V: Afsaneh, will be presented at Apparatus’ Mayfair showroom in London. Through lighting and decorative objects, the collection explores resilience, the divine feminine, knowledge and the cycles of life, drawing on his family’s journey to the United States during the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
Named after Hendifar’s mother, the collection places her influence and the musical traditions of his family at its centre. His mother sings and plays piano and, according to the designer, was the star of the family’s musical life while he was growing up.
“So much of my adult life at Apparatus has been about creating a certain kind of stage. And now really sort of putting her and my own lineage and the musicality in my family and that tradition at the center of this stage feels really fitting. It feels like a really full-circle moment,” he said.
Hendifar has also commissioned four family portraits for the London showroom. He said bringing his family into the space was important when Apparatus first opened in London, as the location on Mount Street represented a significant moment for the company.
The collection is divided into four series: Esfand: The Seed, Gol: The Flower, Rahvi: The Serpent and Jahaan: The World. Each contributes to a broader narrative centred on femininity, nature and the passage of time.
A Study in Materials and Symbolism
The collection combines lacquer, brass, blown and cast glass, fibreglass, bronze and aluminium. The seed-inspired designs feature lacquered finishes in nature-inspired shades, including milk, honey, pomegranate, sky, dusk and night.
Water-formed brass and blown glass trace the movement of the serpent, while amulets made from tiger’s eye, black onyx, quartz, honey agate, red jasper and lapis lazuli introduce additional symbolic elements.
The collection’s story will also be explored through five short films produced in collaboration with New York’s Martha Graham Dance Company, which is celebrating its centennial this year. The films are scheduled to be released on October 22.
Founded in 2012, Apparatus has established an international presence through collections designed at its New York headquarters and manufactured at its dedicated Brooklyn factory. The upcoming Miami showroom and the launch of Act V: Afsaneh mark two important developments for the company, bringing together international growth and Hendifar’s personal creative history.
