DEDON
DEDON is a German premium outdoor furniture company, founded in 1990 by Bobby Dekeyser (born 7 October 1964 in Leuven, Belgium; Belgian-German entrepreneur and former professional football goalkeeper). The founding impulse arose during a hospital stay following a facial injury: Dekeyser decided against continuing his sports career and in favour of building a family company with a creative mission. The company began with hand-painted skis (80 pairs, 50 returned) and the import of raffia giraffes from Madagascar. The decisive step came with the development of DEDON Fiber — a synthetic, UV-resistant, weatherproof artificial fibre with a natural look and feel, developed together with his uncle, an engineer and expert in plastics extrusion, and registered as an international trademark in 1990. In 1991 Dekeyser met a Philippine manufacturer from Cebu at the Cologne furniture fair — an island known for its traditional weaving skills. He moved with his family to Cebu for a period and developed the first woven DEDON products there. In 1994 production was relocated to Cebu; in 2000 DEDON opened its own production facility on Cebu with complete control of the supply chain from fibre to finished packaged furniture — today approximately 3,000 people work there. In 2004 Dekeyser relocated the company headquarters to Lüneburg Heath; DEDON Fiber production remained in Germany. In 2006 he sold 49% to a US private equity firm — a decision he later regretted. In 2009 he bought back his stake with the help of Swiss investor Daniel Borer. In 2014 the Diethelm Keller Group assumed a majority stake, with the aim of expansion while safeguarding the company's unique character. International headquarters: Lüneburg (Germany) and USA (subsidiary DEDON US, founded 2009, first showroom Manhattan/SoHo); distribution in over 80 countries.
Iconic products and designers (selection): ORBIT (Richard Frinier, 2002 — igloo-shaped floor chair, first signature piece), LOUNGE (2002), NESTREST (hanging igloo lounge nest, 2011 — an overnight sensation at the Salone del Mobile Milan), SEAX (Jean-Marie Massaud, 2012 — first non-woven DEDON collection), Play (Philippe Starck, 2010), BRIXX (Lorenza Bozzoli, 2017 — first fully upholstered collection, with Italian craftspeople), TIBBO (Barber & Osgerby, 2017 — first teak collection), DEAN (slingback collection, 2017), AIIR (2018 — first collection with injection-moulded seating). Further designers: Stephen Burks (Dala). DEDON Island: boutique luxury resort on a Philippine island, all-inclusive. Social project: Compostela — a village project in the Philippines for former residents of a dumpsite, creating sustainable livelihoods.
For architects and interior designers seeking an outdoor furniture programme for hospitality, hotel rooftop and premium exterior projects that combines hand-woven craftsmanship from Cebu with German quality management, ranges from Philippe Starck to Barber & Osgerby, and is represented globally in over 80 countries, DEDON is the most precise Lüneburg address — and the story of its founding one of the most unusual entrepreneurial biographies in international furniture design.
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DEDON
DEDON is a German premium outdoor furniture company, founded in 1990 by Bobby Dekeyser (born 7 October 1964 in Leuven, Belgium; Belgian-German entrepreneur and former professional football goalkeeper). The founding impulse arose during a hospital stay following a facial injury: Dekeyser decided against continuing his sports career and in favour of building a family company with a creative mission. The company began with hand-painted skis (80 pairs, 50 returned) and the import of raffia giraffes from Madagascar. The decisive step came with the development of DEDON Fiber — a synthetic, UV-resistant, weatherproof artificial fibre with a natural look and feel, developed together with his uncle, an engineer and expert in plastics extrusion, and registered as an international trademark in 1990. In 1991 Dekeyser met a Philippine manufacturer from Cebu at the Cologne furniture fair — an island known for its traditional weaving skills. He moved with his family to Cebu for a period and developed the first woven DEDON products there. In 1994 production was relocated to Cebu; in 2000 DEDON opened its own production facility on Cebu with complete control of the supply chain from fibre to finished packaged furniture — today approximately 3,000 people work there. In 2004 Dekeyser relocated the company headquarters to Lüneburg Heath; DEDON Fiber production remained in Germany. In 2006 he sold 49% to a US private equity firm — a decision he later regretted. In 2009 he bought back his stake with the help of Swiss investor Daniel Borer. In 2014 the Diethelm Keller Group assumed a majority stake, with the aim of expansion while safeguarding the company's unique character. International headquarters: Lüneburg (Germany) and USA (subsidiary DEDON US, founded 2009, first showroom Manhattan/SoHo); distribution in over 80 countries.
Iconic products and designers (selection): ORBIT (Richard Frinier, 2002 — igloo-shaped floor chair, first signature piece), LOUNGE (2002), NESTREST (hanging igloo lounge nest, 2011 — an overnight sensation at the Salone del Mobile Milan), SEAX (Jean-Marie Massaud, 2012 — first non-woven DEDON collection), Play (Philippe Starck, 2010), BRIXX (Lorenza Bozzoli, 2017 — first fully upholstered collection, with Italian craftspeople), TIBBO (Barber & Osgerby, 2017 — first teak collection), DEAN (slingback collection, 2017), AIIR (2018 — first collection with injection-moulded seating). Further designers: Stephen Burks (Dala). DEDON Island: boutique luxury resort on a Philippine island, all-inclusive. Social project: Compostela — a village project in the Philippines for former residents of a dumpsite, creating sustainable livelihoods.
For architects and interior designers seeking an outdoor furniture programme for hospitality, hotel rooftop and premium exterior projects that combines hand-woven craftsmanship from Cebu with German quality management, ranges from Philippe Starck to Barber & Osgerby, and is represented globally in over 80 countries, DEDON is the most precise Lüneburg address — and the story of its founding one of the most unusual entrepreneurial biographies in international furniture design.