Interview to Alumnus Daniel Miravalls, Chief Design Officer at Kumbra Yacht
Date
22 November 2024
Only a year or so after graduating in Transportation Design from IED Barcelona, Daniel Miravalls Langarika has happly found his way into yacht design, currently serving as Chief Design Officer & 3D modeler at Kumbra Yachts, a young Barcelona-based shipping company.
Last September, at the Cannes Yachting Festival, Kumbra Yachts introduced itself to the market with Kumbra 34, their first yacht model, designed under Daniel's own guidance, gaining good success and encouraging comments.
We asked Daniel directly to tell us about that experience, a dream start to a career in this industry.
Daniel, can you tell us about the development of Kumbra 34 and what are the key features of the company’s first model? How the team worked together and what was your specific tasks?
Our goal first goal in designing El Kumbra 34 was to focus on the user’s comfort, as we are a company that designs under the slogan "From Sailors to Sailors." The team is composed of Victor Moure (CEO), Joan Marc Lerones (CMO), and me, with the role of CDO. My role as a designer is to create the boat’s design, from the exterior to the interior, including the teak wood and many other details...and I always consider the fact that creating a boat from scratch is like creating a whole new line, that will define all the following models.
We build these boats with the excitement of being people who have sailed since childhood and have seen many flaws in boats designed by designers or engineers who do not sail, which is the meaning behind our slogan.
How did you feel during the launch event at Cannes? Can you share any anectode?
The truth is that, throughout the week in Cannes, all of us Victor, Joan Marc, and I were very surprised, as we didn’t expect to have that success and close several sales as we did. But it was a week of introducing ourselves and, above all, gathering all kinds of feedback to continue improving. To this day, we have already attended three shows: Cannes, Port Ginesta, and Valencia, and the truth is that in all of them, we left with great satisfaction results. This year, we still have Düsseldorf and Palma de Mallorca ahead, where we hope to continue growing our popularity and experience.
What would you highlight from your training at IED Barcelona that has had a major impact in your career? Could you share some memories with us?
When I started at IED, it was a risky decision because design is not a very common career. Seeing all your friends go off to pursue more traditional careers to build a future, while you choose a path that you love, is scary. At least it was for me. In fact, I wasn't sure it was the right career until my third year, when I did a nautical project. There, I have to thank Mariano Suñe, who opened my eyes to the world of yacht design and made me realize that nautical or naval design was my passion and my future. From that point on, I began to focus everything ahead of me on the nautical world, until the great opportunity to create Kumbra Yachts came, and my dream became a reality.
Why did you choose to study Transportation Design at IED Barcelona?
As for why I chose transportation design, it's a bit peculiar. I started the product design program because it was more general and would open more doors, or so I thought... But in a sketching class, I had Jesús Iglesias, who was a professor for the transportation design students. He made us draw cars, and I’ve never been interested in cars, but he told me that transportation design was for me, based on my personality, my way of drawing, or - I’m not sure why, but he saw it clearly. At that moment, I wasn't sure to change my course because it was meaning to almost lose a year and repeat many new subjects that were quite challenging. But, as you can see, I took the risk and listened to him, and thanks to that moment, I'm now very happy with the work I do. So, I would like to thank him for believing in me at that time.
What advice would you give to current transportation students now that you are working in this industry?
I don’t want to sound too ordinary, but I would like to tell them to enjoy the time they are in; it’s an amazing moment, without responsibility, with a certain level of maturity... But above all, if they don’t know what they want, like I didn’t, they should search, try, and make mistakes. I learned what I liked by making mistakes and trying.
Images: courtesy of Kumbra Yacht.
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