Cycle Forward
This elegant, understated almost 12,000 USD carbon fibre Le Flaneur bike is produced by none other than fashion brand Hermès. Branching out from its claim to fame - leather accessories and shawls, namely - Hermès worked with the French framebuilder Time to create this beauty. But it’s much more than a fashion statement. According to François Doré, the head of the Hermès Horizons division, "We set out to make a real bike, not a decorative object. It had to be simple, efficient, easy to use, pleasant and elegant.” And so it includes dynamo-powered lights, a clean belt drive, hydraulic disc brakes, and the choice of 8 or 11 gears. Perhaps the only reference to Hermès itself is their wonderful bull-calf leather (in cream, charcoal or red) on the bike’s contact points: handlebars, saddle, carry handle, and luggage-rack support. And, you can also request Le Flaneur with a Hermès Nomad bag fixed on it.
Industrial Chic
Vipp is a Danish homeware company that is best known for their solid steel designs, and most especially, their pedal bins but lately, something else is distinguishing them in design circles. This is a sleek, compact 55 square-metre nature retreat called ‘Shelter’ that has a clean, minimalist aesthetic and, complete with a fireplace, a large living area, open kitchen and loft bedroom, all located in a glass shell, is both sheltered and exposed to the elements. The Vipp ‘Shelter’ takes 6 months to make, 5 days to install, accommodates up to 4 people, and costs 585,000 USD. According to chief designer, Martin Bo Jensen, “The biggest difference between this getaway compared to anything else on the market is the fact that I’m not an architect. The shelter is conceived more like a product than a piece of architecture that melds seamlessly with its surroundings. We wanted to conceive something different; an escape in the form of an object designed down to last detail, where the only choice left to the customer, is where to put it.”
Building Foundations
Prada isn’t the only luxury brand peddling culture but of all its competitors, it has managed to create a foundation that’s deliberately, and entirely, separate from its brand identity. Fondazione Prada is unique in that it has little to do with its owners’ personal collection, it doesn’t bear the company’s logo, nor does it function solely as a museum or an art centre. In essence, for the past 20 years, Prada’s foundation has been dedicated to the display, discussion and development of art as well as architecture, philosophy as well as cinema, with a rich cultural programme that incudes multi-disciplinary talks, festivals and design projects. Deciding to take a back seat in their own foundation, Prada and her husband put together a panel of experts, historians and curators in what they call the Thought Counsel, overseeing the rotating exhibitions and lectures. Just this May, the Fondazione Prada unveiled its new permanent Milanese headquarters - an old distillery in the industrial zone of Largo Isarco. The venue, conceived by Rem Koolhaas’ architecture firm, OMA, expands the repertoire of spatial typologies in which art can be shared with the public. Not only is it the first modern art institution in Milan, it’s a feat of architecture, gallery design, and of course, collecting prowess.
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