Marcel Wanders studied 3D design at ArtEZ University of the Arts in Arnhem from 1985 to -88. In 1992 he was one of the co-founders of WAACS design in Rotterdam, before he in 1995 established his own design studio Wanders Wonders in Amsterdam.
In 1995/96, Wanders designed the Knotted chair, made of hand-knitted macrame, for the Dutch design company Droog. For the chair, Wanders was awarded the Kho Lian le Prize from the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts in 1996. During the same year, Wanders participated in the exhibition Threshold: Contemporary Designs from the Netherlands at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
, he created the interior design of the Mondrian South Beach Hotel in Miami, and in 2009, Wanders had a solo
Three years later, Wanders had his first solo exhibition at Museum het Kruithuis in Hertogenbosch. For the 2000’s World Fair in Hanover, Wanders designed the interior design of the VIP Room at the Dutch Pavilion. In 2001 Wanders founded the Marcel Wanders studio in Amsterdam, as well as co-founding and being the art director for Mooi.
At the Fuorisalone during the Milan Furniture Fair in 2007, Wanders presented the Personal Editions Series, consisting of limited-edition designs and unique objects. In 2008, Wanders became a partner in Yoo, the project development company of Philippe Starck and John Hitchcock. During the same year he created the interior design of the Mondrian South Beach Hotel in Miami and in 2009, Wanders had a solo-exhibition called Marcel Wanders: Daydreams at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Three years later, Wanders became a co-owner and interior designer for the Andaz Hotel in Amsterdam.
In 2014, the solo exhibition Marcel Wanders: Pinne up. 25 Years of Design opened at the Stedelijk in Amsterdam. For the Oita Prefectural Art Museum in Japan, Wanders designed a site-specific installation called Eurasian Garden Spirits. From the Marcel Wanders Studio in Amsterdam, Wanders works on product and interior designs as well as art direction for companies including Alessi, Magis, Natuzzi, Louis Vuitton, and Flos.
As a furniture designer, Wanders is represented with pieces such as the Knotted chair, the Carbon chair, and the Cyborg Club chair at museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Museum of Furniture Studies in Stockholm.
