Treku is celebrating the tenth anniversary of its most international product, the Aura system. Gorka Aldabaldetreku, company co-director and the founder’s grandson, remembers the history of this innovative product that has resonated with the tastes of design lovers in more than 50 countries.

Perhaps 2011 was not the ideal year to launch a product that had so little in common with what was on the market at that time. Perhaps it was not the moment to present something with that formal appearance and those finishes. Perhaps that is why Treku presented an innovative furniture system, full of subtle details and offering countless ways to personalise it and adapt it to spaces. They christened it Aura and it allowed Treku with nearly 75 years of history to expand the portfolio of international markets in which it works.

Aura emerged at a strange time, not only for the furniture sector, but for the world in general. In 2011, a global financial crisis that would last several years began, and uncertainty was the norm for people and companies alike. Treku was not immune to those circumstances. “We needed to create something different. It wasn’t enough to present just another collection that matched what was already on the market. We had to take more of a risk,” explains Gorka Aldabaldetreku.

Treku contacted designers Angel Martí and Enrique Delamo for them to give substance to the idea the company had in mind: a modern modular system that could work in such a turbulent, complex time, and that could, at the same time, penetrate more foreign markets. “The fact that it was aimed at an international market brought with it some very specific conditions, such as making the collection easy to configure.” What did they develop? A piece of furniture whose light feet create the appearance that it is suspended, hypernatural finishes combined with a very judicious selection of colours… After a year of briefings, meetings and prototypes, Aura became a reality.

The Leap

It was time to present it to the world. Treku had taken this step before on other occasions, but never with a product like Aura. The Basque company embarked on a tour of the main European furniture fairs, such as Berlin, Cologne, Paris and Milan. “At fairs, you can see immediately whether people like the product a lot, a little or not much. People fell in love with Aura from the beginning,” explains Gorka Aldabaldetreku. The system was presented to society, thereby starting the wave of orders that would go on to encompass some 50 countries around the world. The minimalist concept of Aura even influenced the marketing strategy. For the first time in its history, Treku did not edit a catalogue to promote the new product, but rather produced a case of posters that showed details of the furniture, with precision and audacity. “Looking back now, it was very innovative – daring, even. There was another sort of energy, a lack of awareness that, from today’s perspective, might be surprising,” Gorka remarks.

Ten years have passed since that moment and Aura has achieved a sort of iconic status, having connected with so many styles and countries. Although Gorka avoids the idea of Aura as an icon, he is nevertheless very positive about how it has been received: “The system has worked particularly well in countries where there is a tradition and a culture around design, such as the United States, much of Europe, and even niches like South Korea and Singapore.”

Functions and compositions

One of the secrets to Aura’s popularity is its versatility and its capacity to adapt to and serve different spaces and environments – something that has surprised its own creators. “It offers many options for personalisation, the possibility to choose finishes in various natural woods and a broad menu of finishes and lacquers. You can do what you want with it, whatever you can imagine. In fact, clients have devised functions and compositions of the Aura that we had never imagined. Aura in a bathroom as a basin stand? It’s all welcome!” explains Angel Martí, one of the designers.

Gorka Aldabaldetreku smiles when he wonders how Aura will look in 2031, when it has its twentieth anniversary and remains, steadfast, in the company’s portfolio. It will have evolved, and will continue to evolve, but he doesn’t know how. “Aura is a timeless product, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be updated. Updates are necessary, as long as the product doesn’t lose its essence or turn into something else,” he concludes.

A look back at the IMM and Maison&Objet fairs and our new collections presented there. We appreciated your positive feedback about our news! Check out our selection of pictures of our booths.

Visit our Paris stand in 3D

We presented the Bost Shelving system collection, result of a first collaboration with Yonoh, a design studio from Valencia, and the Gau coffee table family, work of four hands, those of the designers Silvia Cenal and Ibon Arrizabalaga.

With the 2019 count-down, the entire Treku team is getting ready to attack the 2020 at full speed. Many new surprises are awaiting: collections, colors, finishes, catalogues and others! We will start the year by exhibiting at the IMM Cologne and Maison&Objet Paris fairs.

The opportunity for us to unveil a new shelving system, the result of a brand new collaboration with Yonoh, a design studio from Valencia.

We are looking forward to seeing you again and will reveal more in the near future…

Esta actividad es susceptible de ser cofinanciada por el Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER). La aceptación de la ayuda ICEX por parte de las empresas participantes, supone su aceptación a ser incluidas en la lista de operaciones publicada de conformidad con el art. 115 apartado 2) del Reglamento (UE) 1303/2013. Esta aceptación también supone su permiso a que ICEX publique en su página web la conformidad de la empresa con el siguiente texto: “Soy conocedor de que esta actuación está cofinanciada con Fondos europeos y me comprometo a indicarlo así siempre que deba hacer referencia a la misma, frente a terceros o a la propia ciudadanía. Por la importancia que considero tienen este tipo de ayudas para nuestra empresa, es por ello que valoro positivamente la contribución del FEDER, principal Fondo de la política de cohesión europea, por lo que supone de impulso a nuestro trabajo y en consecuencia al crecimiento económico y la creación de empleo de la región en la que me ubico y de España en su conjunto”. Asimismo, si esa empresa resulta beneficiaria de una ayuda cofinanciada por Fondos FEDER, y en lo que respecta a la disponibilidad y conservación de los documentos justificativos, deberán tener en cuenta lo contenido en el artículo 140 del Reglamento (UE) 1303/2013, así como el artículo 125-4.b) del citado Reglamento para lo relativo a la contabilización de las operaciones. Toda la información relativa a las responsabilidades y obligaciones de las empresas beneficiarias en materia de Información y Comunicación, se encuentra disponible en la web de ICEX: www.icex.es/fondosfeder

From september 17th to 20th, we will participate to the Hábitat furniture fair in Valencia, Spain. We’ll use this event to showcase our latest news for Lauki, Aura and Bisell collections.