From a porcelain banana by WRK Katie Ridley Murphy to AMASS's super yummy smelling Four Thieves Hand Sanitizer to Issey Miyake's PLEATS PLEASE MUSA collection inspired by ancient Greek mythology goddesses of music, here's a look back at the week of design drops.
WRK Katie Ridley Murphy Hand Curved Porcelain Banana
Katie Ridley Murphy has a hard time throwing away the fruit in her fridge. “When they start to decompose, I think they look so pretty,” the Atlanta-based artist says, explaining how the idea to create a porcelain banana came from observing produce spoiling in the cold-storage box. Murphy hand-picks one banana from the bunch and chisels a similar decomposing form out of raw black or white porcelain, usually while holding both simultaneously. In a similar process to making dried fruit, the sculpture is dried out for a week, then fired in the kiln, dipped in a clear glaze, and finally fired for a second time. Accounting for shrinkage in the firing process, Murphy recreates every detail at 20 percent larger than the original specimen, whittling grooves and dents by hand. In total, each takes nine days, give or take, to make.
Sanitizing has become a regular ritual in our lives, but that doesn’t mean we need to resign ourselves to a habitual helping of industrial-grade goo. Thankfully, the boutique Los Angeles–based botanics brand AMASS has conjured a mixture of natural botanical extracts to transform the experience of cleansing from clinical and cold to sensory and indulgent. The Four Thieves scent is inspired by a blend of botanicals once believed to prevent the spread of the bubonic plague in medieval Europe, and named after a band of thieves who used the potion to protect themselves from the disease.
Issey Miyake, one of history’s greatest pleaters, has introduced a new series inspired by ancient Greek mythology goddesses of music. As most audiophiles know, any great song has structure, including a chorus, verses, and a bridge. So too do Miyake’s garments, which are fashioned from a single thread and then heat treated with a permanent pleat. The accordion folds first became their own brand made for everyday wear after debuting in his Spring Summer 1994 collection. Washable and packable, Miyake’s pleats are being reimagined yet again with sculptural ensembles that glide along the body like a slinky.
Carbon fiber, nubuck leather,and polyurethane are the premium building blocks which Courser creates its shoes. Since launching in November, the brand has blazed the trail for high-quality, durable materials, proving that making footwear that’s both athletic and luxurious is not only technically possible, but also a viable business model. With a product range that includes two colors for both men and women, Courser offers something for every season and almost every activity.
Saint Laurent Rive Droite Bang & Olufsen Beoplay A9 Speaker
We didn’t think Bang & Olufsen’s Beoplay A9 Speaker, a wireless multiroom piece originally designed by Øivind Alexander Slaatto, could get any sleeker. Enter Saint Laurent Rive Droite, the Parisian cultural and retail destination curated by creative director Anthony Vaccarello, which has recently put the French maison’s signature all-black stamp on some of today’s most celebrated contemporary design objects. Not only does the collaboration see the Beoplay A9 rendered in a dark-as-night sheen, its freestanding circular body playfully contrasts with its surroundings wherever it stands, making a compelling case for speakers as statement furniture. The days of hiding your compact, utilitarian bluetooth box in the corner have long passed.
Ross Lovegrove masterfully employs cutting-edge technology to replicate the intricate forms found throughout nature. Like virgin leaves unfurling down your hand, the avant-garde British designer’s Foliate rings offer a stunning example of biomorphic jewelry. Derived from botanics, the digitally modeled, 3D-printed silver accessories mimic highly evolved leaf structures that capture rain and sunlight.
