Ross Lovegrove Designs This Year's Traditional Saber and Champagne Case For Mumm.

In the past I shared with you designer Patrick Jouin's specially designed versions of Champagne House G.H. Mumm's traditional Cordon Rouge Case and Saber for 2011 and 2010. The companies' ceremonial Saber is a sword used to expel the cork and an accompanying case is designed to bold both the Saber and the Champagne.



This year, G.H. MUMM enlisted industrial designer Ross Lovegrove for the annual task. By entrusting the internationally renowned designer with the task of creating a sabre, G.H.MUMM has brought a modern touch to this great tradition. A gamble that has paid off handsomely, combining two worlds: that of a Champagne House constantly looking to innovate and that of a designer recognised as a leader of 21st century aesthetics.



"It's one of those magical acts that is so poly-sensorial and culturally enriching that as a designer one is naturally drawn to the cult of the object"- Ross Lovegrove for G.H.MUMM.

THE SABER:





The G.H.MUMM sabre is a true product of Ross Lovegrove’s world: an approach in which beauty and intelligence unite, where energy is transformed into an object with clean-cut lines. Stainless steel was the designer’s material of choice precisely because of its modernity and because it is as timeless as champagne itself". Curved at the pommel, the line then straightens towards the tip, where the signatures of the House and the artist are engraved. Designed for both left- and right-handed use, the G.H.MUMM sabre offers the perfect balance between weight and mass."

THE DELUXE CASE:




The lines of the Deluxe Case are beautifully sculpted, a prestigious casket designed exclusively by the artist to house both the sabre and a magnum of G.H.MUMM Cordon Rouge. In white polyurethane lacquer, embellished by the touch of red that is a G.H.MUMM hallmark, it is a clean-cut case, a metaphor for an age marked by innovation and discovery, style and freedom of expression". Personally signed by the designer, G.H.MUMM's Deluxe Case illustrates Ross Lovegrove's desire to create objects of timeless beauty."



This video was created in collaboration with GH.Mumm, John Ross studio and Ross Lovegrove. It beautifully documents Ross’ vision from sketch to finished object and the wonderful act of the sabrage:



Ross Lovegrove
G.H. Mumm

Seeing RED At The Conran Shop. Over 40 Designers Do It In RED to Mark 25 Years.

THE CONRAN SHOP UNVEILS RED, A SPECIAL EXHIBITION FOR THE LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL 2012, 14-23 September 2012

The Conran Shop is pleased to announce RED, a special exhibition to mark 25 years at the Michelin Building during the London Design Festival 2012. The exhibition will include works by over 40 designers including Jasper Morrison, Thomas Heatherwick, Nendo, John Pawson, Ingo Maurer, Marcel Wanders, Raw Edges and Alexander Taylor.

From Rashid to Hadid, 12 Top Designers Create Cool Laminate Flooring for Parador.

World-renowned designers Ross Lovegrove, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Jean-Marie Massaud, Karim Rashid, Jean Nouvel, Konstantin Grcic, Ben van Berkel, Matteo Thun, ORA ITO, Piero Lissoni, Werner Aisslinger and Zaha Hadid have all designed exclusive indoor laminate flooring for manufacturer Parador.

The New Hu Watch By Ross Lovegrove for Issey Miyake

“hu”… simply means human.
a clear and pure statement embodied in a timepiece for issey miyake. it truly is a creative bonding and all my life long feelings about watches as prosthetic extension of the body, the concept of anatomical contouring and the organics sculptural possibilities of materials that integrate into one single skin. --Ross Lovegrove

The newest watch from Issey Miyake, the Hu watch designed by Ross Lovegrove:


The organic shaped wristwatch, made of titanium and silicon materials, gently holds and melds into your wrist. The dial as a slight slope on a 25º angle to the right, which makes the dial naturally and easily viewable.



Available in October, 2009, the watch comes in three face and band color combinations; white & gray (SILAU001), white & white (SILAU002) or black & black (SILAU003).


The watch models:


The $800.00 watch is designed to fit an average sized japanese man's wrist.


Specs:

Ref No	SILAU001	SILAU002	SILAU003
Accuracy	±20 sec/month
Battery Life	Approx. 3 years (SR920SW)
Functions	Indication (Hour/Minute)
Water Resistance	5 bar
Case	Stainless Steel Case + Titanium Frame
Band	Silicon (Gray)	Silicon (Light Gray)	Silicon (Black)
Size	L67.5mm × W42mm
Weight	approx. 60g

And the packaging is equally modern in design:




The watch is not yet available on the market, but is expected to hit stores early October and should be available through the stores or dealers on this list.


To see more wonderful Issey Miyake Watches, go here.

KEF's Muon Speakers now available in the US!

Hot off the presses..(seriously, this news just came across the wire).

Now hear this: Those groovy KEF speakers designed by Ross Lovegrove that I blogged about last April are now available in the US.

So, make some noise.
See the press release here

Ross Lovegrove is Making Some Noise for KEF

Above: Ross Lovegrove with his Muon Speakers for KEF


I've always been a fan of Ross Lovegrove's work and his newest creation for high end audio manufacturer, KEF, is no exception. The text below is from the April issue of Wallpaper.

The hallowed walls of Milan’s Science and Technology Museum played host to the launch of a groundbreaking pair of speakers yesterday evening.

'Muon' is the product of a union between the historic British audio company KEF and visionary industrial designer Ross Lovegrove. Standing two metres tall, the speakers are made from super-formed aluminium, which, like vacuum forming, uses heated aluminium sheets to bend around seemingly impossible shapes. The end result appears more like art than technology.

But the technology is every bit as impressive as the visual design. A four-way speaker system with powerful bass drivers produces an exceptionally clean and open sound regardless of the room’s acoustics.



As part of the launch the international creative branding agency Moving Brands created an audio responsive visual installation to showcase the speakers in action. They created a platform in front of the speakers that reacted in real time to the music being played, creating a light display to add a 3-dimensional demonstration of the sound quality. In the vaulted Sala del Cenacolo, where the speakers were showcased with the installation, the effect was truly sensational.

Berlow is a video of the launch:



Only 100 pairs of speakers are to be made and don’t let the fact that Robbie Williams has put his name on the waiting list put you off.