For the past five years Spanish footwear brand Camper have quietly established an annual designer workshop at their home on the island of Mallorca. Every summer they invite a small group of designers to live on the island and work with Camper to develop experimental designs in response to a brief set by the company. The benefit is mutual. For Camper, they receive the input of fresh ideas and fresh thinking, as well as the opportunity to scout out new talent. The young designers are given the opportunity to tap into the wealth of craft and design experience within Camper, not to mention the beautiful environment they get to work in.

The designers arrive from all corners of the globe and includes graduates and students in product design and womenswear, as well as footwear. This year Camper also invited graphic design and film students from ECAL in Switzerland to develop the visual identity for the workshop and create a document of the groups ten day stay. Based at the Camper family's Son Fortesa farmhouse in the centre of the island, the theme for 2012 was 'The Smell of Design'. Specially handcrafted glass domes were made in advance for each designer to collect the samples of smells that would inspire their designs and also serve as the centre piece of the final presentation.

Camper are starting to open up the results of the workshop to a broader public and to that end invited TANK to witness the conclusion of the workshop and the students final presentation. Check out the video for a glimpse of what we saw.

text and video by Sohrab Golsorkhi