With 12ESIMO, designer Federica Basile brings the language of stadium terraces into the world of contemporary design, transforming a collective and visceral phenomenon like sports fandom into an object of aesthetic and spatial reflection. The project originated as a thesis titled Ultras: the phenomenon of sports fandom, with the aim of exploring new ways of sitting in the contemporary world, focusing on the relationship between body, space, and collective movement.

The research begins with the observation of football fandom, analyzing its origins, evolution, and the social dynamics that define it. The ultras thus become a starting point for reflecting on how the act of occupying a space — shouting, moving, participating — can be translated into a design form. The supporters are no longer just a sporting phenomenon but a lens through which to explore how the body relates to others and to the environment, creating a kind of spontaneous and collective choreography.

From this reflection comes 12ESIMO, a collection of four tall stools that can be used individually or combined. Each seat is designed to evoke the postures and movements typical of ultras in the stands: the tension of the arms, the tilt of the torso, the upward thrust. The tubular iron structure recalls the rigidity and solidity of stadium barriers, while the circular seat in matte black MDF introduces a more abstract and symbolic element — a point of balance between strength and control.

In 12ESIMO, design is not simply used to create a functional object but becomes a language for translating collective energy into form. Federica Basile observes and reinterprets the rituals of fandom, transforming them into a design gesture that speaks of contemporaneity — one in which the body, even in everyday life, continues to seek shared spaces of belonging and movement.