Originally named the Model B3 Chair and taking inspiration from the bent handlebars of a bicycle, Breuer first designed the Model B3 in the Bauhaus, Located in Dassau, Germany. Breuer was the head of the cabinet-making workshop. His Adler bicycle design got him into using the bent steel bars to make furniture, which proved a breakthrough for the entire industry.

It was not called The Wassily Chair until Breuer made one for his friend Wassily Kandinsky who was also working with Breuer in the Bauhaus. Italian manufacturer Dino Gavina renamed it as such when, after research for the Model B3 Chair, he figured out a link to the artist. The prototype was made from seamless steel tubing bent to create a smooth design manufactured by Mannesman, a German steel company which introduced the process of bending tubes without breaking. Under the license of German-Austrian furniture manufacturer Thonet, it was available in the folding and non-folding versions.

The Wassily chair was given recognition but stopped production until World War II when new models had variations of black, white and brown leather, as opposed to the original fabric straps. Standard-Mobel, Lengyel and Co. carried most of Breuer’s earlier designed except for the Wassily chair. Dino Gavina acquired the license for the Wassily chair in 1962 and mass-produced it until 1968 when The Gavina Group of Bolgna was purchased by Knoll, which also brought them Breuer’s designs.