BORN MAGAZINE SPRING ISSUE 2007

CONNECTING PEOPLE WHO MAKE BEAUTIFUL PRODUCTS WITH THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM WWW.BORN.COM

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1. born creative leaders tour: industry trailblazers share their latest creations and explain what

ISSUE 7 | APRIL 2017

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2. buying better: the latest incarnation of design’s favourite mantra, ‘less is more’

reductionism means to them

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3. pack it up: a look at the young brands rethinking

4. surround sound: the night spots making all

your travel accessories

the right noises

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6 The Land Rover

born awards

2017

5. The future’s front row: the bright young things

6. the land rover born awards: the design industry’s

snatching up all the good seats

brightest and best head to norway DISCOVER MORE ON WWW.BORN.COM

RANGE ROVER

MAKE A STATEMENT. BE UNDERSTATED.

Refined. One word that perfectly illustrates the three classic lines that go to make Range Rover’s unmistakable exterior design.

As for the interior, effortless springs to mind.

Intuitive, simple to use home screens and InControl Touch Pro, our advanced infotainment system, all lie within easy reach of the elegant console.

The Range Rover. Effortlessly refined and that’s an understatement. landrover.com

Official fuel consumption for the Range Rover range in mpg (1/100km): Urban 15.4–41.5 (18.3–6.8), Extra Urban 29.0–47.9 (9.8–5.9) Combined 22.1–45.6 (12.8–6.2) CO2 emissions 299–164g/km. Official EU Test Figures. For comparison purposes only. Real world figures may differ.

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www.zenith-watches.com

LEGENDS ARE FOREVER

"g o o d

THE FOUNDER’S INTRODUCTION

" eve ryone for

WWW.BORN.COM | ISSUE 7 | 2017

is

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design

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I have always loved good design — Design that is relevant and fresh, design that changes behaviours and stimulates a response. For the designer, good design is a reward for their efforts and passion. For the person experiencing the design, it can be educational, it can entertain, it can improve things — or it can be transcendent.

Today’s connoisseurs are looking for design that marries beauty with functionality. They’re innately curious, seeking out the new and the curiosity-stirring. They’re not fixated on buying a product just for the brand, but rather want to understand the story behind the product, its cultural context. They are passionate, and they look for similar passion in the products and pieces they acquire.

Creativity is about far more than acquisition, though. Creativity must

Jean-Christophe Chopin BORN Founder & CEO

be purposeful and should spur us on to reach new milestones. One of today’s most fascinating design frontiers is sustainability. Take sustainable energy, and the way that it’s encouraging us to rethink and reshape cities and urban environments. Another is impact – the best design is impactful. Rethinking home technology, furniture, and communication offers us thrilling opportunities to reach and improve the lives of countless people. Ultimately, creativity and design must be satisfying – meeting a need, pleasing to behold, and enriching to use.

But creativity can only achieve its aims with an audience. My question was ‘how can we bridge the gap between consumers’ appetite for new products, and designers’ need to finance them?’ Which is why I created BORN. BORN is a new breed of marketplace — a market network representing the avant-garde and promoting the development of next-generation products. We celebrate the men and women who have ideas and realise them, whose products combine functionality and beauty, and are unique in the world. We praise and promote work from across disciplines that shares the same core: the design-led life style.

We are proud to once again have Land Rover as our knowledge partner, and Gerry McGovern as president of the jury.

We hope that, through BORN, you find something to fall in love with – something desirable, aspirational, behavioural, durable, born from passion and imbued with story.

less is

more instead of buying more, discerning consumers and collectors are buying better. explore the movement that’s encouraging design as disciplined and restrained as the aficionados who seek it out.

B

ack in the 1970s, esteemed designer Dieter Rams published his celebrated ‘10 Commandments of Good Design’, a manifesto as focused and quietly spoken as his designs themselves. He

Rams’ spartan, intelligent designs for Braun are instantly recognisable: the

argued that good design wasn’t just a matter of aesthetics, but

starkly beautiful music system, the pleasingly elegant calculator, the modular

of ethics – that creating products with longevity and lasting relevance was the

shelving system for Vitsoe that’s as at home in a modern living room as it

goal and responsibility of designers everywhere.

was in a 60’s den, the humble wristwatches stripped back to the barest, and

Skip forward nearly five decades, and these principles are on display in the

loveliest, of basics.

passionate about buying fewer, but better, things. Instead of conspicuous

timepieces by Uniform Wares, Paulin or Maven. From Hong Kong, Maven’s

consumption, this is conscientious consumption: products that are thought-

androgynous designs are purity personified, crafted to last in marble and

fully designed and durably made being sought out, used and cherished rather

Italian leather with no faddy flourishes that could date them (if you’ll excuse

than quickly bought and even more quickly tossed.

the pun).

WWW.BORN.COM | ISSUE 7 | 2017

Today, that same spirit of reduction lives on in modern (and modernist)

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work of a new generation of designers, spurred on by consumers who are

LESS IS MORE

The entrance to Seoul’s Rare Market

And it’s not only products that are getting the minimalist treatment – the experience of shopping for them has come in for a similarly thorough rethink.

From Seoul’s Rare Market to Berlin’s The Store, experience and editing is more than just a gimmick; it’s a raison d’etre. In the vast, industrial, foliagedotted space beneath Soho House Berlin, The Store offers a handpicked array of garments and goods that are designed, and priced, to be loved for the long term. Shoppers peruse pieces by JW Anderson and The Row whilst listening to rare vintage soul records, and perch on midcentury French wicker chairs

about deliberate lifestyles, proving that limited choice can be liberating.

as dieter rams, and contemporary

minimal design, keeps reminding us,

© Marcin Wichary

to sip matcha from the in-house cafe. It’s less about designer labels and more

in design as in life curation is key. what you leave out is even more

© Marcin Wichary

important than what you include.

The Store, Soho House Berlin

11 WWW.BORN.COM | ISSUE 7 | 2017

THE NEW DIGICAL BANK

www.fullsix.it

THE PEOPLE ECOMONY IN NUMBERS

Seamless OmniChannel Experience | Future Banking Proof | Smart Digital Rewarding |

pack it up do you like your journeys to be urbane, futuristic or exotic? thanks to a clutch of new travel brands, you can pick up accessories to suit that are as considered, and as photogenic, as your destination.

Y

ou’ve carefully laid out the wardrobe for your business trip (or better yet, your getaway). You’ve set out your favourite sunglasses and shoes, and your passport is tucked in its sleek leather holder. So far, so Instagram. But then you have to

actually stash it in your suitcase, and chances are it’s a generic, mass-produced number chosen as the least offensive option in the store. But waiting for your bag to appear on the luggage carousel just got considerably more exciting, with new, young travel brands coming to the rescue of the style-savvy traveller.

Luggage brand Away is one that’s really taking off, making travel kit that’s sharper, smarter, and sexier. Launched by eyewear brand Warby Parker alumni Jen Rubio and Steph Korey, this direct-to-consumer brand cuts out the middleman to create, as they put it, “first-class luggage at a coach price.”

In unbreakable and incredibly lightweight Bayer Makrolon polycarbonate, their cases (in carry-on and checked luggage sizes) feature 360-degree spinner wheels, silk linings, removable laundry bags, patented compression systems and – best of all – a built-in battery and USB ports for charging electronics on the move. But for all its cleverness, this is first and foremost covetable, thoughtful and pared-back design, melding a minimal fashion aesthetic with highly functional features.

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But if minimal design is (quite literally) your bag, you need look no further

Raden’s gorgeously glossy offerings are a masterclass in simplicity – at least on the outside. Exteriors are impossibly streamlined, with no unsightly logos, pockets or zips to disrupt their moulded polycarbonate shells. But just beneath the surface, these bags reveal their smarts, syncing with an app to locate your bag once out of sight, and a built-in handle sensor that weighs the case – ideal

Away’s smart luggage plugs

for curbing overly enthusiastic packing tendencies.

WWW.BORN.COM | ISSUE 7 | 2017

than Raden. Looking like the luggage you might pack for a space odyssey,

Romantic nomads get a look-in, too, thanks to Paravel’s recently launched PACK IT UP

and chicly nostalgic luggage sets. If Raden is Stanley Kubrick, Paravel is stoutly Wes Anderson, crafted from Italian canvas and leather. Built upon a belief that “beautiful things should also be practical”, these cases and bags are certainly worthy of inclusion in a holiday snap or two.

Raden’s sleek carry-on cases

The Paravel luggage suite

designjunction London’s leading design destination 21–24 September 2017 King’s Cross, London thedesignjunction.co.uk

cr eative l eaders tour 15

Check out highlights from those conversations here, and watch the full interviews at creativeleaders.born.com.

THE PEOPLE ECOMONY IN NUMBERS

We’ve sat down with communications experts, ceramicists, artists, product designers and filmmakers all grappling with the idea of reductionism. Professor Jacques Proust talked to us about how science can help us to escape the grip of time, and met with Gerry McGovern to talk about timelessness in automotive design. We pinned down creative director Bruno Danto (in a brief respite from flitting between Paris, LA and London) to find out why simplicity is the ultimate luxury, and in New York, caught up with BORN award-winner Annina Roescheisen on all things art. Jonathan O’Toole chatted about how design and technology are getting up close and personal with the female anatomy, and designer Mauricio Clavero Kozlowski waxed lyrical about his passion for ancient craft techniques. And we met with producer Jeremy Dawson to hear what’s involved in realising the singular vision of Wes Anderson, and designer Mia Suki to discover her vision for ‘equestrian luxe’.

WWW.BORN.COM | ISSUE 7 | 2017

This year’s born creative leaders tour takes our search for the world’s most intriguing people to streets, ateliers, studios, laboratories and film sets.

born creative leaders tour Interviews

Gerry McGovern

Jean-Claude Biver

Land Rover Chief Design Officer

President of the LVMH watch division

uk

switzerland

What is your latest creation?

We have just revealed a new type of Range Rover, for a new type of customer. It is designed to fill the space between Range Rover Evoque and Range Rover Sport. We call it the Range Rover Velar. The name Velar derives from The Latin “to veil”.

It is a direct reference to the code name of the original preproduction Range Rovers of the 1960s.

What is your latest creation?

There are many things we are working on, but the Tag Heuer Connected Watch is something we are very proud of. It’s innovation at its best – inside and outside.

How is this vehicle different?

It’s very dramatic, it’s elegant and it’s beautifully proportioned.

A vehicle with its own unique personality, it brings a new dimension of modernity to the Range Rover family. Design is at its very core. A compelling piece of design that resonates on an emotional level. That emotional connection is what differentiates great unique products from average products.

What does reductionism mean to you?

Are you trying to compete with Apple?

Absolutely not! When we do a Connected Watch, we are not trying to compete with the Apple Watch. We need to bring something unique from our brand to it and that thing is that

I am a modernist, and reductionism is a key part of modernism.

The Velar has been designed and engineered with an unwavering belief in ‘reductionism’. Desirability and refinement are evident inside and out. For example, look inside Velar’s interior and you will see elegant simplicity, sophistication and refinement. An unwavering belief in reductionism has been fully employed, with switches being kept to an absolute

we are a watchmaker. It’s all about respecting the DNA and message of each brand. For example Hublot is the inaccessible disruptive luxury, Zenith is tradition in the watchmaking art, and Tag Heuer is the avant-garde in the watchmaking art. Each one has its position, price level and message. As long as you respect this, you are able to run the three brands easily.

minimum to help create a calm sanctuary.

What does reductionism mean to you?

Is that compatible with the Land Rover heritage?

The French sculptor Rodin said: “I achieve perfection through the materials that I take away. And not through what I add.”

It has been 48 years since the first Range Rover – the Velar prototype – broke cover. Since then the design language has changed dramatically, but the go-anywhere DNA has stayed the same. For me it’s important to recognise your past but not to be harnessed by it.

Creativity is everywhere, even mathematicians need creativity.

Only maybe in bookkeeping do you not want it! You need them to tell you 1 + 1 = 2. But in marketing, it’s the opposite, 1 + 1 must make 3.

Bruno Danto

Mia Suki

Creative Director of DAD

Founder of Miasuki

france

china

Tell us more about your new brand.

We started my brand Miasuki three years ago. It’s a new category of clothing in womenswear dedicated to the female equestrian lifestyle. There are pieces you can wear on a day-today basis but at the same time they are totally functional for riding.

How has your industry changed in the last ten year?

Everything is about branding today, and by branding I don’t mean logo design, we don’t do logos anymore, we brand: we communicate with emotion, with passion and try to lift people up. It’s the emotion that we bring to a message 17

I am a rider myself and I must say the idea came from frustration! Frustration at not being able to find clothing that allowed me to fully achieve where I want to go. That place of contentment, of pushing the limits was always held back by restrictions in comfort. Comfort to me is fundamental.

WWW.BORN.COM | ISSUE 7 | 2017

Where did this idea come from?

What is the biggest challenge?

America, in South America, we have to find the right balance between complexity and simplicity. It’s about getting rid of the superfluous, everything that’s been added over the hundredyear history and reduce it to a simple emotion. Finding a really simple idea, that is very meaningful.

What inspires you?

Beauty in life, meaning the objects I have around me; the books, poetry, sometimes film too. But also people and their particular lifestyle. Traveling too, especially; Brazil, where I find the people and they way they interact with each other beautiful. They are

How did yo manage to innovate in your category?

By really drilling into the idea of extreme ease, we broke down

very in tune with that “what money can’t buy” je ne sais quoi.

the conventions to rethink the concept of equestrian clothing

What do you think about reductionism as a

together with 24 different pieces of cloths. Each piece is made

design concept?

In a very complex world, you have to simplify the design and the usage of products, and that’s how you bring real value to it.

Design is within every object but when that effort of creation appears perfectly seamless, that’s when emotion can take over.

by introducing the bodysuit – a one piece garment sown of the same family of fabric but with different weights and compression.

What is reductionism to you?

It’s the very practice of simplicity. I think less is not only more, less equals more. It’s efficiencies all happening in harmony in one single entity.

CREATIVE LEADERS TOUR: INTERVIEWS

To build a brand that will be able to sell in Europe, China, in

Annina Roescheisen

Professor Jacques Proust

Artist

Medical Director of Nescens Cosmetics

germany

switzerland

How do you manage the creative process?

Why did you decide to focus your research on skin?

To be able to manage a creative project or an artistic career

Skin is not only the largest organ of our body but a very

you have to have a lot of strings to your bow. There is a lot of

important one – it reflects not only our age but also our state of

frustration that comes with it but that is part of the process. It’s

health and our past life’s history.

like the dynamic of a phoenix. It’s like being a phoenix – you rip your old skin off and discover a new one. It’s the motor

What is your latest creation?

that pushes you constantly to find new horizons and not repeat yourself. I welcome frustration.

In the last 20 years we have made considerable progress understanding the basic biological mechanisms of ageing.

Cosmetics are focused on grooming, beautification and promoting attractiveness but they’re only effective for a short duration. Cosmeticals are on the border of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. They include biologically active molecules, scientifically engineered to repair the damage caused by the ageing process.

What are you currently working on?

My background is in medieval arts, iconography, symbolism, alchemy and architecture. I’m using all these elements to develop a new project that is more interdisciplinary as I’m very engaged in human and social topics. Currently I’m working on a large international peace project titled #whatbringspeace. The question is what brings peace to you as an individual but also what brings peace globally.

What does reductionism mean to you?

There is a beautiful quote by Leonardo da Vinci who said, “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”. But to make things simple you have to look at them from every angle and bring something which is very complex to a very simple foundation. So simplicity implicates complexity but in a very minimal, aesthetic form, so that you’re not aware of all the work that has gone into it.

What advice would you give aspiring artists?

The best advice I can give young creators is to always listen to yourself. We are so influenced by what others say and we are so fear-driven by society, friends and family that sometimes we drift away from ourselves. Look at it as a game, play like a child, think big.

What is the biggest challenge?

The phenomenon of skin ageing has a real impact in our daily life and has huge consequences for our social and psychological wellbeing. So combining science and the attractiveness of cosmetics often times is often hard to manage, since we have to control the interaction between the different bioactive molecules and at the same time end up with a desirable product for the customer.

What does reductionism mean to your field?

The scientific theory of reductionism is trying to explain a very complex phenomenon, like ageing for instance, by dissecting the different biochemical pathways down to a molecular level. We start with a clinical observation of a particular symptom and then try to identify the biological reason behind it – in order to learn how to modify it.

Jonathan O’Toole

Mauricio Clavero Kozlowski

Chief Product Officer at Elvie

Creative Director

uk

chile

What is Elvie?

Elvie is a kegel exercise tracker, providing five-minute exercises

Tell us a bit about your work, and your philosophy?

which allow women to strengthen their core and pelvic muscles.

My work is about details, contrasts and stories. My products also

problems and we are the first to take technology and embed it in

try to join my past to my present. I’m from Chile, and work with

a beautiful object that women can easily use on a regular basis.

a very old Indian technique, carried out by a French company that representsa dynasty of master silversmiths tracing back to

soul of the object, its reason to exist.

WWW.BORN.COM | ISSUE 7 | 2017

What does reductionism mean to you?

CREATIVE LEADERS TOUR: INTERVIEWS

1690. So I take my past, my present and pushing it into the future.

What is your creative process?

Do you use a particular methodology?

My view is that making something complex is really easy, but making something simple is hard. So I try to take some distance from the product to be able to deconstruct it and get rid of preconceived ideas surrounding it. This enables me to get to the

Was product design the most challenging part?

Actually no, the biggest challenge was to figure out the network that would allow people to use the product. That meant building the infrastructure such as the app and the whole user experience.

You’re asking people to take a very intimate device and use it on a regular basis so the design of the whole system had to be incredibly well thought out.

What does reductionism mean to you and your brand?

Reductionism is about taking something very complicated and making it simple. The danger is to reduce something so much it loses meaning. Take space, for example: the most complex of concepts but in its simplest form it’s basically dark. But if you simply say ‘space is dark’ you lose the message. You need to be able to communicate the complexity with its many folds. You can’t reduce the hardware, the software, the design without thinking about its environment, who’s interacting with it. You pull one string and it lifts the other. So when you reduce one of them you need to make sure you’re increasing on all fronts and not decreasing one.

How do you sum up your brand’s mission?

Our mission is changing women’s lives. That’s my tagline!

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Not many people know that 1 in 3 women will have pelvic floor

I really do believe it is a necessary exercise for all creatives; a litmus test to see if the project, the product has a true reason to be. In today’s world, with so much creative output and so many creations, it is important to make sure each one is pure and reduced in its purpose.

After working for such established brands as Haviland, what’s the next dream?

In truth, I have no idea. But that’s exactly what excites me. I live day to day and focus on doing my best for the brands I work with today. So I don’t know what my next steps will be, but not knowing is the most exciting part of life, isn’t it?

What would be your advice to young creatives wanting to make it?

My advice would be to do everything with passion but most importantly with full integrity. That’s necessary and the key to creating something meaningful. That and of course to not be afraid and keep at it.

We combine the finest materials, functional design and considered details to create products that set you apart from the ordinary.

nativeunion.com

the

Land Rover

born awards

2017

surfacing and celebrating the best in global creativity, the 7th annual land rover BORN awards will take place in alesund, norway, on july 26 and 27.

Each year, BORN seeks out and champions the emerging and established creative talents who are reshaping the world.

Following on from the success of the 2016 awards in Courchevel, this year sees work by 20 handpicked nominees from 5,000 nominees exhibited against the stunning coastal backdrop of Alesund, culminating in the awards ceremony itself in front of 300 journalists.

Supported once again by our knowledge partner Land Rover, the awards have so far recognised luminaries including director Danny Boyle, composer Jean-Michel Jarre, designer Ramesh Nair, and watch guru Jean-Claude Biver. To enter your brand or to find out more about the BORN Awards 2017, visit awards.born.com. knowledge partners

above & beyond

the land rover born awards 2017 Alesund Norway, July 2017

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at the awards

AND UNITE THEM WITH THE BIG BRAND VISIONARIES, THINKERS AND ENTRPRENEURS WHO ARE SHAPING THE WIDER WORLD FOR A SERIES OF EVENTS: BORN TALKS

NOMINEE EXHIBITION

AWARDS CEREMONY

A series of conferences on the subjects of creativity in the new age of business

A showcase of work from our 20 award nominees

The Closing ceremony and gala dinner attended by nominees and journalists

Gerry McGovern Land Rover Chief Design Officer 2017 President of the Jury

Jean-Christophe Chopin Founder and CEO of BORN

Deborah Spencer Founder of Design Junction London, Milan, NY

Ana Andjelic SVP, Global Strategy Director at Havas LuxHub

Eva Jeanbart-Lorenzotti Founder and CEO of Vivre Voyager Spirit

THE BORN AWARDS 2017

the jury

WWW.BORN.COM | ISSUE 7 | 2017

WE BRING TOGETHER THE MOVERS, SHAKERS AND TRAIL-BLAZERS OF THE DESIGN INDUSTRY

Valerie Hersleven Co-Founder & CEO of Ooshot

Tommaso Micaglio Vice Chairman of Cose Belle d’Italia and CEO of Europa Investimenti

Adrian Cheng Founder K11 Art Foundation

Annina Roescheisen Annina Roescheisen is a multi-media artist

categories

the land rover born awards in numbers

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION FASHION & ACCESSORIES ARCHITECTURE HOME & DESIGN SPORT & LEISURE BEAUTY & COSMETICS SOCIAL IMPACT SPECIAL PRIZE: PUBLIC VOTE SPECIAL PRIZE: TASTEMAKERS

NORWAY CROWNED HAPPIEST COUNTRY

10 JURY MEMBERS 7 CATEGORIES

IN THE WORLD

2 SPECIAL PRIZES

260,000 COMMENTS AND LIKES

350,000 7TH EDITION

73 AWARDED

LAND ROVER BORN AWARDS

SHARING A TOTAL OF

2010 - 2017

54,000,000 FACEBOOK FOLLOWERS

VIDEOS VIEWS

8,000,000 AUDIENCE REACH IN 2016

140 NOMINEES

BORN ULTIMATE AWARDS 2016

BORN AWARDS PAST EDITIONS

THE BORN ULTIMATE AWARD IN 2013 Flavio Manzoni (Head Designer Ferrari)

24

WWW.BORN.COM | ISSUE 6 | 2016

THE BORN ULTIMATE AWARD IN 2014

Jury President, Tony Chambers from Wallpaper* Magazine with 3 awarded (Zinedine Zidane, artist Richard Orlinski and Shamballa jewelry designer Mads Kornerup)

=

25

WWW.BORN.COM | ISSUE 7 | 2017

THE PEOPLE ECOMONY IN NUMBERS

tastemakers

fashion weeks’ coveted front row seats are no longer the exclusive preserve of magazine editors. and the young cohort who are taking their seats, and

their spotlight aren’t just spectators; they’re becoming major players themselves.

Caroline Vreeland Shea Marie hard at work on an assignment

The future’s front row 27

devotees like Susie Lau (AKA Susie Bubble), Scott Schuman (The Sartorialist) uring Paris Fashion Week’s hottest shows, Kravitz, Beckham

and Leandra Medine (The Man Repeller) is now a powerful industry in its

and Depp all took their seats and struck a pose. But not

own right, where influencers don’t only blog, tweet, Instagram and Snapchat,

Lenny, David or Victoria, or Johnny. Instead it was their

they also collaborate and launch their own covetable brands.

teenaged or twenty-something offspring, photogenic,

entrepreneurial and driven in equal measure, lounging FROW. Zoe, Brooklyn and Lily-Rose chatted with other bright young things beside them, all sharing one thing in common: influence.

products, these social media powerhouses wield huge influence among their vast (and mostly millennial) audiences. Loewe or Dior might spend big on advertising campaigns, but a single post on Snapchat by a twenty-something DJ/ model sporting their clothes can reach millions with a click or a tap.

collaborated on both campaigns and products for Céline, Chopard and Kate Spade, among countless others, and retails her own curated picks of products and accessories.

Chiara Ferragni, under the moniker The Blonde Salad, counts Louis Vuitton and Burberry as partners, and has co-created jewellery with Delfina Delettrez, footwear with Giuseppe Zanotti and reengineered classic 501s for Levis – all eagerly received by Ferragni’s 6.5 million Instagram followers.

Others – like Instagram sensation Bryana Holly or Shea Marie – are going all-out, skipping the collabs to launch their own ventures. The designer (or, as she describes herself, “fashion influencer, designer, stylist, creative consultant, TV host, photographer, model and editor”) debuted a range of high-end swimwear, Same Swim, that’s now stocked at Harrods and Saks Fifth Avenue.

She’s not the only influencer with a bogglingly eclectic CV – best friend and social media co-star Caroline Vreeland is a model, singer, and unofficial torchbearer for her great-grandmother Diana Vreeland’s fashion-forward legacy, as well as a muse for brands like premium Italian streetwear label GCDS. Whether it’s a Tommy Ton x Club Monaco tie-up or an all-out empire a la Glossier’s Emily Weiss, one thing’s pretty clear – the new influencers aren’t giving up their seats anytime soon.

Front Row at Balenciaga

TASTE MAKERS

For fashion houses, as well as travel destinations, lifestyle brands and wellbeing

One of the longest-established bloggers on the scene, Garance Doré, has

WWW.BORN.COM | ISSUE 7 | 2017

D

What began more than a decade ago as simple fan blogging by fashion

range rover velar

making its international debut at london’s design museum, the new range rover velar is a masterpiece of reductive, innovative and emotive design. deriving its name from land rover’s first, secret prototype in 1969 (the name means

“to veil or cover”), it’s a fitting heir to that spirit of british innovation.

less is much, much more

29 WWW.BORN.COM | ISSUE 7 | 2017 THE RANGE ROVER VELAR

The assembled crowd was hushed as the shroud cloaking the Velar was pulled back at the packed launch. Here was something somehow completely in keeping with Land Rover’s esteemed British heritage yet wholly unexpected.

Low-slung muscular, and elegant, its unobtrusive exterior and powerful proportions imbue it with a sense of quiet potency. And although it inherits the brand’s design integrity and engineering excellence, it’s a vehicle that reveals a new dimension of modernity.

With its clean-sheet design and cutting-edge technology under the hood and behind the wheel, the Velar is undeniably intelligent design, but it’s a car that elicits an immediate emotional response first and foremost. Its exterior is intriguing – the side profile is exceptionally streamlined thanks to recessed door handles that pop out when needed – and copper burnishes the front bumper blades and fender vents. The floating roof and continuous waistline single it out as a part of the Range Rover family, but the DNA is distilled into something that’s more confident and elegant than anything that’s come before. But it’s the interior that sparks the greatest awe: modern, refined, and undeniably luxurious, it manages to evoke a sense of sanctuary by stripping out superfluous complexity. Gone are obtrusive buttons and displays. Instead, you find a seamless console comprising hidden-until-lit controls and two 10inch touchscreens used to intuitively navigate information, entertainment and safety enhancing features. Seats are crafted from fine leather or sustainable, premium textiles developed by Kvadrat. Little wonder, then, that the Telegraph says it “represents a noticeable shift in the way car interiors are put together...[it’s] the best car interior ever”.

It can afford to be this beautiful because it’s smart, too. Designers liken the

Minimalism can sometimes be a synonym for sterility in design. But in the

in-car technology to a ‘digital butler’, which learns your personal preferences

case of the Velar, the distillation of the Range Rover essence evokes a visceral

and tailors your driving experience to suit, as well as helping you effortlessly

response, a quickened heartbeat. Anything unnecessary to refined enjoyment

contend with traffic and weather conditions. ‘Less is more’ is an apt summary

has been omitted, and what’s left is what Forbes describes as “pure pleasure:

of its efficiency too, with fewer emissions and lower fuel consumption for even

visual, emotional, intellectual.”

better performance.

It’s nearly 50 years since that first Range Rover, the Velar’s namesake, emerged and changed driving, and design, forever. Five decades on, this Velar is an evolutionary leap forwards from its ancestor, no less radical and even more thrilling.

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THE PEOPLE ECOMONY IN NUMBERS

from nyc’s black flamingo to london’s spiritland and tokyo’s wealth of originators they’re the grown-up antidote to clubbing, and they’re making all the right noises.

I

t’s a soggy Thursday night in recently revived London’s Kings Cross.

While the wind whips between electricity pylons outside, inside at Spiritland it’s a Los Angeles summer night, as Lovefingers lowers the turntable’s needle onto another balearic LP. Here, and around the

world, music lovers are flocking to bask in the lush sounds of some of the world’s finest – but not loudest – sound systems. Though they might serve a mean cocktail, they’re not bars, and though they’re all about the music, they’re not clubs — they’re an entirely new beast where discerning listeners gather to bask in great tunes played in spectacular quality.

With its origins in Japan, where audio bars have quietly flourished for years, these new-breed music venues distil the listening experience down to crystalline sonic perfection. Gone are the DJ pedestals, towers of technical equipment and ringing ears. This is an altogether more intimate, sophisticated

Spiritland

experience. Instead of thudding monoliths you’ll find elegant vintage-looking speakers that you’ll want to cosy up to, which you’re welcome to do, perfectly prepared cocktail in hand.

At Spiritland, the speakers in question are a key part of what founder Paul Noble calls “the best sound system in the world”. Designed by British 33

specialists Living Voice, and costing hundreds of thousands of pounds, these

that make even well-worn classics sound utterly new. The set-up is a work of art designed to create genuine emotional connections between music and listeners, and every element is meticulously designed to add only what’s strictly necessary to achieve that, without any extraneous bells and whistles.

With a similarly cultivated hand in the kitchen, and an expertly assembled wine list, Spiritland offers discerning palates in both music and hospitality an experience without compromise.

Across the pond, Williamsburg’s night owls are enjoying their own audio

for its disco – is also a shrine to sonic pleasure. This cocktail bar/ restaurant/ club hybrid blends several pleasures but the experience is singular. Stacked Klipschorn La Scala speakers in pale wood anchor the corners of the 70-capacity bar, offering a select few pilgrims the chance to worship the clear, bright sounds they produce.

Black Flamingo If ordinary music clubs are a shot of sambuca – brash, sticky and usually regrettable – these new venues are pure single malt: refined labours of love designed to be savoured by connoisseurs.

Living Voice Speakers

SURROUND SOUND

renaissance. Black Flamingo – which draws on Miami for its decor, and NYC

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elegant, wood-clad speakers emit a gloriously full, rich and mellow sound

the

born offer Digitalize your brand and be in business BORN is a market network where exciting creators can showcase their new products, their personal profiles, their brands and their teams. It’s where devotees of quality design can discover stylish, ingenious, pioneering products from around the globe, democratizing design and empowering creators and enthusiasts alike.

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Once showcased by BORN, creators are entered in the Land Rover BORN Awards: the prestigious annual event where members of the world’s design elite gather to honour creative excellence in all its forms.

THE BORN OFFER

as seen on born.com Empty Memory by Beyond Object

Love Turntable by Yves Behar

The Free-Spirited by Ey Products

Night Cable by Native Union

Chandelier 8 by Magic Circus Editions

iPad stand by Yohann

Kallio by MONC London

Rouje By Jeanne Damas

Bombers by Daily Deb

Freeride by Odo Fioravanti

Bulldog by Orlebar Brown

Arvak by KEIM Bikes

born in i t a l y

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THE PEOPLE ECOMONY IN NUMBERS

Milan Design Week 2017

El Primero: Range Rover by Zenith

if you’re looking for a designer come april this year, you’ll have to head to milan, where design’s great and good will all be congregating to celebrate the industry’s biggest event of the year.

I

t might be Salone del Mobile’s 56th birthday this year, but the most respected event in the international design calendar is anything but middle-aged. With more than 300,000 visitors and 5,000 journalists making the pilgrimage to see work by more than 2,000 exhibitors,

it’s a sprawling, unpredictable week that’s not for the faint of heart, the uncomfortable of shoe or the lacking in curiosity.

In 2017, the furniture fair is divided into three main sections: Classic, Design and xLux, the latter category returning after its successful debut last year, showcasing contemporary luxury products.

There’s no shortage of heavyweight launches not to miss: Konstantin Grcic’s elegant sofas for Cassini, Max Lamb’s ceramics for Bitossi, and Established & Sons’ comeback showing. Emerging designers are nipping at their heels, too: Finnish trio Luomo Collective bring their covetable, minimal accessories, JCP their sculptural furniture and Arper their happy pastels – a surefire antidote to the workplace blues.

At Museo della Permanente, BORN will be presenting five unique designs that take reductionism as their starting point, ranging from Swiss based Zenith’s El Primero Range Rover chronograph and jewellery made by US based designer Vanessa Stofenmacher who uses sustainable diamonds in labs, to fluid crystal home ware by French Lalique, simple black-and-white marble benches to honour Zaha Hadid, and minimalist, graceful tech accessories designed by John Brunner and Igor Duc of Native Union from Hong Kong.

Citco marble table

Zaha Hadid for Lalique

Native Union’s marble iPhone cases

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THE PEOPLE ECOMONY IN NUMBERS

c rysta l clear

for an industry obsessed with clarity, the diamond industry can be pretty murky. but sustainable diamonds in labs are on a mission to change all that.

L

ike modern-day alchemists, in a handful of laboratories around the globe, maverick entrepreneurs are making diamonds. Real, glittering, gorgeous diamonds, indistinguishable from the real, earth-made kind in all but one crucial way – you can feel good

about wearing these ones.

Questionable origins, environmental degradation, low-paid labour – the back stories of diamonds are often much darker than these sparkling stones might suggest. Investigating the human cost of ‘conflict diamonds’ was what led one investor to support Diamond Foundry – actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

California’s Diamond Foundry (whose other investors include founders of Twitter and Facebook) uses technology developed for the creation of solar panels to grow diamonds identical in structure and quality to those made in the earth’s crust over millions of years – but these ones take just weeks to form. As well as revolutionising the industry and developing (literally) cutting41

edge technology, Diamond Foundry is shaking up the way diamonds are

showcase and sell their pieces.

Taking the idea that diamonds are a girl’s (and a boy’s) best friend one step further is Innocent Stone, another diamond foundry working in partnership with French duo Twins For Peace to support children in need around the world. The collaboration means that discerning consumers get twice the pleasure – first in knowing that their beautiful stone is ethically made, and then again in the knowledge that their purchase supports education and

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bought, too, creating an online marketplace in which ethical jewellers can

healthcare programmes for children in the developing world.

gemologists unable to tell the difference between a sparkler that was compressed kilometres underground or one cultured in a foundry in San Carlos or Paris, and equally covetable pieces designed by top independent jewellers available, the choice seems pretty clear.

Diamond Foundry Jewellery by Innocent Stone Paris

CRYSTAL CLEAR

These are noble aims, but are they as beautiful as mined diamonds? With

Contacts

WWW.BORN.COM BORN EUROPE Soho Works 56 Shoreditch High Street London, E1 6JJ

CONTACT contact@born.com +44 [0] 7552 396 097

DESIGN TEAM CREATIVE DIRECTION Jean-Christophe Chopin [jcchopin@born.com] ARTISTIC DIRECTION Constantin Chopin [kostis@born.com] COPYRIGHT Ariane Elfen [ariane.elfen@gmail.com] PARTNERS RELATION: Pierre Sapin [psapin@born.com SPECIAL THANKS TO: Land Rover [www.landrover.co.uk] Zenith Watches [www.zenith-watches.com] Fullsix [www.fullsix.it] Socialrise [www.socialrise.de] For commercial opportunities with BORN contact Pierre Sapin Email: psapin@born.com Tel: +44 (0) 7552 396097

CONTACTS

BORN is published by BORN UK, Soho Works 56 Shoreditch High Street London, E1 6JJ All Rights Reserved.

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