From a marble lamp by Salvatori to Rimowa x Moncler's shiny reflective suitcase to Issey Miyake's #hellobaobao mini handbags, here's a look back at the week of design drops.
Fusing old-world craftsmanship with a contemporary perspective, Salvatori eschews traditional applications of marble. Tapping into its impressive network of designers and architects, such as John Pawson and Piero Lissoni, the Italian brand’s suite of furniture, bathroom products, and home accessories take on textural, matte, and earthy qualities. Under Salvatori’s direction, marble loses its gaudy sheen and regains the elemental allure of natural stone. And in Sicilian-bred designer and architect Elisa Ossino, the brand has fostered a holistic marriage. With a scenographic style that casts everyday objects as stars in striking compositions, her multidisciplinary acumen—encompassing everything from set design to interiors to products—shows its influence in the Urano Lamp’s dramatic verve. “Its shape is so pure and soft,” says CEO and impresario Gabriele Salvatori, who became so enamored with the lamp that he placed one inside his Milan pied-à-terre. “When Elisa showed it to me, I was immediately struck by its beauty.”
Saint Laurent Rive Droite Neo Legend Retro Arcade Machine
Video games but make it fashion. Enter Saint Laurent Rive Droite, the Parisian fashion destination curated by creative director Anthony Vaccarello. Recently, the French maison’s signature all-black stamp is still iconic, resembling some of today’s most celebrated design objects (such as a wine key, a cell phone case, and even postcards). Turn back to 2007, Neo Legend was founded and forever established as the refurbisher of the golden age of arcade games. Since then, the analog gaming company has started making their own retro-inspired models, including this one designed in collaboration with Saint Laurent. Naturally, the heritage fashion label’s palm tree motif and a checkerboard pattern adorn its exterior. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, the unit is jam-packed with more than 680 classic games, but we get the feeling it’s equally intended as a statement tchotchke for your curated shelf.
On the Rhode Island coast, a secluded beach house named Rugosa has been a go-to getaway for generations of artists and scholars seeking a much-needed summer refuge. Teeming with breeze-filled living spaces configured for conversation, music, and quiet study, the retreat practically begs its occupants to spend long stretches either alone with their thoughts or immersed in discussion. That pleasant duality is exactly what motivated Michaele Simmering and Johann Pauwen, the husband-and-wife founders of Los Angeles furniture studio Kalon, to devise a collection of sustainable home furnishings that capture the spirit and sensibilities of its beloved namesake house.
Alain Ellouz might be the world’s foremost authority on illuminating alabaster. The precious stone—a soft sulfate mineral that requires the utmost care—is often too delicate to be used for decorative purposes, so his Parisian atelier spent two years engineering a proprietary technique, called Stonelight, that makes alabaster as strong as granite while maintaining its spellbinding ethereality. Having perfected the craft, his fixtures are remarkable feats of engineering that, when infused with light, emanate a gentle glow that reveals alabaster’s hidden richness: smoky swirls, spirals, and clouds that appear frozen in motion.
BAO BAO ISSEY MIYAKE has unveiled miniaturized versions of its popular Lucent and Rock series as part of a special #hellobaobao campaign to celebrate the bag’s ingenuity. The Bao Bao bag is a remarkable feat of engineering, renowned for its shield-like assemblage of polyvinyl triangles and three-dimensional form that resembles a geometric piece of furniture or an eccentric building. First introduced in 2000, Issey Miyake aptly dubbed it the Bao Bao as a homage to the Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, whose cubist-like curved facade resembles the shape of the bag. The campaign plays up colors that reflect the seasons and the limited edition of the bags in “size playfulness,” about 1/4 of their original size. In the era of the mini bag, the #hellobaobao editions are proof that small things can make big statements.
The LVMH-owned brand’s latest partnership with upscale outerwear company Moncler, dubbed “Reflection,” pays homage to its rich heritage through a contemporary lens. Debuted at Milan Fashion Week 2020 and inspired by the signature 1950’s Original suitcase, the cabin-sized luggage is wrapped in a glossy mirrored aluminum shell and adorned with matte black handles, a minimalist transparent belt designed by Moncler, and an embedded metal emblem of the brand’s monogram. Like one of its stylish puffer jackets, the inside is swathed in Moncler’s lush padded nylon fabric, as is a trio of iridescent silver packing cubes. Despite the lost year in travel, we’re already dreaming of the places we’ll go with this limited-edition roller. Everything keeps coming up St. Moritz.
