Celebrating Fabian 50 years

This year we celebrate a highly esteemed member of the Fagerhult family, Fabian. It is a subtle retro fixture, deeply connected with our innovative heritage. When launched in 1969 Fabian was Sweden’s – maybe even the worlds – ever first fitting made of plastic. It was a huge success, and has sold over 4 million copies since then.

The first protoype was created by the housing of two thermoses in different sizes. The injection-moulded plastics, as it would turn out, could not only withstand the warmth from hot beverages – but also the heat from a bulb. After some testing, the development team had created a seamless, screwless design that could easily be implemented in the production system. Due to the absence of screws, assembly could easy be done with the help of a special fixture. The procedure was clocked at 11 seconds flat.

“You’ll need at least five”

When launched, Fabian was marketed as an all-round luminaire that did not just belong in the bedroom, but in the living room and the study too. “You’ll need at least five Fabian at home!”, the ads stated. The fact that Fabian was offered in a wide range of colours following the latest interior design trends contributed to its persistent success. The estimated sell when launched was 10 000 units. No one could have guessed that Fabian actually would sell over 4 million copies.

A child of its time

With Fabian, Fagerhult became known as the frontrunner within plastics. However, today the housing is not made of plastic, but light sheet metal and with an up to date LED-module. Fabian comes in 26 standard colours, and one exclusive version in opaque glass.
It is truly a child of its time!