Droog Design

Droog was founded in 1993 by product designer Gijs Bakker and art and design historian Renny Ramakers to promote contemporary Dutch design. The founders had selected work by young Dutch designers in which they saw a new trend in the reuse of everyday objects combined with a down-to-earth mentality. They presented these works at the Salone del Mobile, the international furniture fair in Milan. The presentation was called "Droog", meaning "dry" in Dutch, because of the simplicity and dry humor of the objects. The exhibition was a success and afterwards the Droog Design Foundation was established to promote and develop innovative design.

Gijs Bakker and Renny Ramakers expanded Droog in the Netherlands and abroad in the next decades, with a presentation every year at the Salone del Mobile in Milan. In 2003 Droog started producing and distributing their own collection, and in 2004 the Droog headquarters opened in Amsterdam, with shop, gallery, restaurant and offices. Gijs Bakker went his own way in 2009, Ramakers is still the director of Droog. In 2018 they were both awarded with the Dutch Royal Honour.

Designs from the Droog collection are included in museums worldwide, such as the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Droog has released several publications, such as Droog Design-Spirit of the Nineties, Simply Droog and Here, There, Everywhere.