ddp design fair

Sneaker brand Reebok unveiled the Reebok x Eames Club C black and white Monotone Pack to honor the life and creative legacy of lifelong couple and design partners Charles and Ray Eames, masters of 20th century design.Reebok reinterpreted the original Club C, which has become the brand’s classic sneaker since its release in 1985, for the 21st century based on the design philosophy of Charles and Ray Eames, “The role of the designer is that of a very good, thoughtful host anticipating the needs of his guests.”The Reebok x Eames Club C will be released in two editions: “Monotone Pack, Black & White” and “Ray Eames Signature Pack”.

Due to the lockdown and plant shutdowns in response to COVID-19 quarantine measures, founder Safia Qureshi returned to London, her home country of England, and came up with an idea to commercialize a more sustainable multi-use cup and to-go food container for restaurants and cafes suitable for a circular economic system.In the past, consumers used to order takeaway food from restaurants, take and eat it in their office or somewhere else and throw disposable containers and cups in the trash. With a surge of consumers staying at home and ordering food and beverage at home since the COVID-19 lockdown, Qureshi conceptualized a bold vision of collecting, washing and reusing containers used by customers since it became possible to track the location of containers (such as the customer’s home or workplace).After completing the design renewal, she is currently working on the marketing strategy to encourage more restaurants and consumers to participate since the UK government has announced its plan to regulate the use of single-use plastic (including cups, plates, forks and knives made of polyethylene) tableware and straws starting from the second half of this year, following the footsteps of the European Union.

Swiss industrial designer Yves Béhar and his team at Fuseproject partnered with smart electric scooter manufacturer Unagi, based in San Francisco, for a design collaboration and unveiled the design of Unagi’s latest smart e-scooter called the “Model Eleven”.Unagi’s Model Eleven is a startup that provides smart mobility solutions for young consumers living in urban areas. In the past, people used public transport (bus, subway, taxi, etc.) to travel from a location to the destination within the city. It declares now it is time to use this solid, beautiful, lightweight, ergonomic and safe high-performance e-scooter instead of public transport.Béhar made an extra effort to incorporate the use of innovative materials during the design phase of Unagi’s Model Eleven. He used a new material called “long carbon fiber”, which is an advanced material used for aerospace hardware. Due to its high flexibility and durability, the material can easily morph into complex structures and forms. The Model Eleven features a sleek and seamless design from handlebar to footrest and a full-suspension design while still maintaining a lightweight profile.

There are numerous nicknames and slang for marijuana — also a raw material used for textiles and pharmaceuticals — such as weed, grass, pot, hashish, hemp, cannabis and Mary Jane. In South Korea, marijuana has been treated as an illegal drug since the 1970s, however, since the government legalized medical use of cannabis in 2018, the import and use of products containing cannabis for medicinal purposes is permitted with a prescription from a doctor based on the patient’s decision.Amidst the debate over its role as a tension reliever or a hallucinogen, more and more countries are legalizing cannabis as a medical supplement and a recreational substance since it could be used as an effective medicinal supplement. Going along with this trend, many cannabis products that cater to consumer preferences and interests are appearing on the market and emerging as a new high-value industry.After Canadian government legalized recreational marijuana in 2018, cannabis retail brand Superette based in Toronto, Canada, was founded in 2019. Superette's sales have steadily increased, and Superette is currently operating six retail stores in Canada and planning to expand into the US market next year by keeping up the momentum.The store's interior design is a collaboration between Superette’s in-house design team and Emily Robin Design Studio based in British Columbia, Canada. You will see oversized and bold red-and-white checkerboard tile flooring, vibrant primary colors and large graphic elements with products displayed like a combination of a local grocery store and a drug store, bringing back the retro pop vibe of the 1960s.

The Campbell’s soup can, which was transformed into a work of art by American pop artist Andy Warhol in 1962, redesigned its packaging for the first time in 50 years.Just as a vast array of products are neatly organized to arouse consumers’ visual attention and desire and make them experience vertigo with infinite freedom of choice, 32 types of Warhol’s Campbell’s soup cans wrapped in red-and-white paper labels present a gratifying moment when the boundaries between a supermarket and a gallery become unclear.On July 27, 2021, Campbell’s Soup Company unveiled the refreshed label design of Campbell’s Soup and dropped 100 pieces of limited-edition digital art with NFTs (non-fungible tokens) based on the redesigned label via OpenSea, a marketplace for digital art.The logo was redesigned by graphic designer and illustrator Sophia Chang. The “O” slanted to the left from the “SOUP” font in Campbell’s soup label was positioned upright and changed to a two-dimensional capital letter in gold. An image that represents the taste of the soup was also added to the side. For example, the label of Campbell’s signature tomato soup can includes an image of a tomato. Campbell partnered with Ntwrk and Aerial to convert Warhol’s Campbell’s soup cans into NFTs.

Austrian Post (Österreichische Post) issued a special edition post stamp in the shape of a mini FFP2 mask to commemorate the FFP2 mask mandate on Sep. 15, 2021. The FFP2 mask used in the EU is a medical mask equivalent to N95 mask or Korea's KF94 mask.The stamp is expected to be one of the collectibles that will grab the attention of collectors who are highly interested in stamps with unique and rare designs. In October 2020, Austrian Post issued 30,000 limited edition stamps in the shape of a roll of toilet paper with hygiene practices for COVID-19, reflecting the social phenomenon of panic-buying of toilet paper during the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak.From last year until now, for about a year and a half, face masks have become a necessity so we can hardly imagine our daily lives without them. Austrian Post CEO Georg Pölzl said, “Stamps have always been a reflection of the events of the times.” COVID-19 is the most representative symbol and cultural evidence of the current situation and the challenge people around the world are facing together.

Germany’s International Motor Show (Internationale Automobil Austellung or IAA), which used to be held in Frankfurt every year, has been held at the Munich Exhibition Center for six days from September 7 to 12 and been rebranded “IAA Mobility” after the postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic and overcoming the global crisis in the automotive industry.Despite the restrictions on international travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a noticeable decline in visitors, the absence of global automakers such as GM, Toyota and the Stellantis Group (the parent company of Peugeot) and a 30 percent of empty booths, German carmakers including Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi have ended the era of diesel and internal combustion engine powered vehicles and predicted the future of the automobile industry by showcasing eco-friendly electric vehicles for various customer groups with a wide range of prices.In parallel to that, the media and the general public have shifted their attention to other aspects of mobility, electric two-wheelers, such as e-bike, pedelec, e-scooter and e-kick scooter. Small and medium-sized electric two-wheeled mobility manufacturers have undeniably emerged as the stars of this year's IAA Mobility event. It is declared that the mobility of the future is moving to practical and eco-friendly two-wheeled lifestyle vehicles rather than flashy luxury cars.BMW Motorrad Vision AMBY. © BMW Group

IKEA — the world's largest Swedish DIY furniture and interior company — opened a new store in Vienna, Austria on August 26. The new IKEA concept store finally opened its doors after going through extensive consultations with the Vienna’s municipal government and the entire process from planning to initiation to construction over the past 10 years with an investment of 140 million euros. What is noteworthy is that the new concept store presents a blueprint for the future of retail by further evolving its existing businesses — what we are familiar with — including furniture, interior and restaurant.One of the striking features of the new IKEA concept store is that it is accessible only by public transport or personal mobility devices (e.g., single-person transportation vehicle such as a bicycle or kick scooter or walking). According to IKEA's new concept, the store is designed for “urban shoppers who come without bringing their car”. It has no parking spaces at all.Customers who are ready to leave the store after browsing the store’s shelves and finishing their shopping can use smartphones to self-checkout and take the purchased items with them or place an order for delivery and leave without the hassle of waiting in a long line to check out. To prevent carbon dioxide emissions, the purchased items are delivered straight to the customer’s doorstep by bicycle or electric car.The building of the new IKEA concept store also reflects the new era of sustainability. It is said that 160 trees and gardening plants surrounding the building keep the indoor temperature cool on the hottest days of summer and reduce CO2 emissions in the atmosphere by 1,000 tons per year.All images courtesy: IKEA.