[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbWOQWw1wkM]
Louis Vuitton - Trunks
After my History of Industrial Design class last week where we had briefly talked about the early history of Louis Vuitton, I decided that I would check out LV"s flagship store on Fifth Avenue and 57th Street to see if there were any artifacts that might be of interest.
and much to my surprise, there were indeed some vintage trunks on display and unfortunately just out of reach for my little iPhone camera. Here are some grainy photos.
They did have some newer trunks on display.
Here are some images closeup. Notice the variety of materials used inside and out. The chrome hardware does not seem out of place and the wooden trims serve as bumper rails to protect the outer leather surface.
The associate I spoke with at the store gently reminded me that photos are not allowed in store but not before he explained to me that these trunks are much more meaningful when made-to-order especially the cost between one they have in store and a BTO is not as significant as the price tag of one: expensive.
Upon further research it seems Louis Vuitton greatly embraces its proud tradition of luggage for travel. Its website begins with a location imagery that reminds the user of travel.
and is followed by multimedia-rich content that isn't all about commerce but rather presents the company and its heritage in a very pleasing way.
Louis Vuitton also released "100 Legendary Trunks": a book with an accompanying iPad "Interactive Book" app that shows off some of the trunks it has made over the years. Very much worth checking out.
[youtube="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5I5ttT-dvw"]
Caption by Louis Vuitton on YouTube.
Seven crafts performed by hands outlined by daylight. They stitch the skin of a Speedy bag with beeswax-coated yarn, hollow a pea jacket at the waist, sheath the trunk case of a Wardrobe with a creaser, smooth a shoe upper to perfection, scour the contours of a Craquantes jewel, coat the arms of a pair of glasses, file the bevels of a Tambour movement.... Gestures speak. Instruments confer. Words are silent. Passion is revealed.
Bruno Aveillan brings his artist's eye to the House's know-how, passing it on in turn, in his own way.
Titanium and Steel Bikes by Budnitz
According to Budnitz Bicycles, Paul Budnitz began creating bicycles for his own use in 2006 while running Kidrobot. By 2010 people were stopping him on the street and asked where they could get a bicycle like the one he was riding. Several offered to buy his bike right out from under him! The bikes are classic-looking and built to last. Depending on the model, the bike frames are made of either brushed titanium or gloss black True-Temper™ cro-moly steel (chromium, molybdenum, steel alloy).
In my opinion, the standout bike in their lineup is the No. 3 Honey Edition. According to the company's description, the bike is:
a classic remix of our Model No.3. German-made 2-inch creme tires, a titanium honey leather Brooks saddle and matching leather grips, titanium badges and our gloss-black city-bike frame.
Not only is there a material change, but it is also highlighted by a change in color.
Just looking at the closeup of the Honey Edition, it is not only aesthetically compelling but the honey leather handles and seat gives it a much warmer look. White tires suggest it will get dirty very quickly in city streets (not sure if one would want to abuse this bike by riding it on city streets) perhaps the owner's intent for owning a bike like this would be for leisure, perhaps better served by the beach.
Gold Plated Nike Zoom Force 1 - Product by Process
After finally taking some time off from work, I'm finally back to attack the final semester of my time at Pratt. Here's an video that serves as a good inspiration for such an occasion Posted on Vimeo regarding the making of "American Eagle". Filmed by Ronin of HotMop Films, he spent 9 days filming Osamu Koyama, an artist who built a gold-plated armor for a blank Nike Zoom Force 1, a commission from Nike for their Shoeshine Project 2012.
AMERICAN EAGLE from Hot Mop Films on Vimeo.
Karim Rashid's Trash Can out of Corn Plastic
The Garbini/Garbo trash can is designed by Karim Rashid for Umbra. It is part of the permanent collections at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Chicago Athenaeum Museum, Montreal Museum of Decorative Arts, Toronto Design Exchange and San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts. This particular photo was taken by JSDesign@Flickr at Tenleytown in Washington DC.
It is also available in steel mesh.
Other trash cans from Karim Rashid include the Umbra Skinny Can, Afterglo Can, Sway Can, Pop Can. Most, if not all of these trash cans are out of plastic.