Cool Hunting
| 01 June 2005view entries from: this week | this month | view previous day | view next day |
Business 2.0: The New Instant Companies
by Josh Rubin
Of course, "going after" bloggers can backfire because they can smell a desperate pitch a mile away. But have no fear: If you have the next hot product, they'll find you. That's what happened at Freebord, a skateboard company founded in 2001 that still has just five employees. In November, 36-year-old CEO Bayard Winthrop got an e-mail from a designer in New York asking about Freebord's unique six-wheel rides. Winthrop e-mailed back a patient explanation.
The designer turned out to be Josh Rubin, owner of Coolhunting.com, which gets more than 125,000 unique visitors a month and has a readership that is 73 percent male and 81 percent age 35 or under. After Rubin's post about Freebord, traffic on the company's site exploded, increasing fivefold almost immediately. Sales jumped too, but it was the surge in awareness that really amazed Winthrop. "We weren't very well known, and suddenly everyone was checking us out," he says. "We heard from skaters and from investors who wanted in on the company." Overseas blogs then started writing about Freebord, resulting in two European distribution deals. Freebord still does no advertising and spends its entire $1,800 marketing budget on stickers, but Winthrop says revenue will double this year to $1.5 million.
Cover Story by Michael Copeland and Andrew Tilin
Nespresso Romeo
by Evan Orensten
Shakespeare's influence continues to impress me. Imagine Juliet (as a Nespresso pod of coffee) standing on her balcony, calling out to her beloved (coffee cup?). Such is the inspiration for the hip design of Nespresso's newest high end machine. Simply pop a Nespresso pod with your preferred roast in the balcony, select the type of espresso/coffee you're in the mood for, and within a few seconds your beverage has been perfectly prepared. Available in September from Nespresso, $799 (retail).
Retro-Electro
by Ami Kealoha
The new book Retro-Electro is a primer to the slew of outmoded devices left in the wake of tech’s breakneck progress over the last four decades. With photos, brief descriptions, history, and pricing info, it’s as much for the obsessed collector as for those who just want a trip down memory lane. In the same way that Taschen’s The Computer, is like paging through a high school yearbook, Retro-Electro testifies to the way our daily experience with technology makes for chummy relationships to our gadgets. From design icons like the MoMA-exhibited 1972 Sinclair Executive calculator to Game Boy's evolution into a flip version, examples point to the positive feedback loop between design and living; technology’s role magnifies the elements of good vs. bad design like few other products.
Due from Rizzoli later this month, you can pre-order from Amazon.
Photo Credits (from L-R): Science & Society; Ericsson Archive; Computer Museum Tonh
Inside 255
by Josh Rubin
A couple weeks ago I got to check out the Nike iD Design Lab at 255 Elizabeth Street. Check out this feature for the full review.
GoGo Paris
by Ami Kealoha
Sinatra might've been so over the loveliness of Paris, but maybe that's because he didn't have GoGo, the new free English-language monthly covering art, food, culture, and shopping in the City of Light. Started by veterans of the now defunct Paris Time Out, their debut issue features an interview with LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy, lists his fave spots in Paris, and includes a top ten list of current goings on. Subsequent issues follow the same format, with pop artist Sylvie Fluery and John Waters gracing the most recent covers. Available throughout Paris in galleries, shops, clubs, bars, cafés, and the like, there's now yet another reason to consider the expat lifestyle.
Nike iD Design Lab: 255
by Josh Rubin
Since March 31st -- the same day a redesigned nikeid.com launched -- a polite yet intimidating bouncer has taken up residence at the unassuming storefront of 255 Elizabeth Street in Manhattan. His job is simple. He patiently explains to all who inquire that access to the space behind the frosted glass door is by appointment only, and those appointments can only be made with an invitation. It's rumored that the Nike iD Design Lab will open to the public through a lottery system sometime soon. But, with no more than three customers allowed in the space at one time and sessions limited to hour-long appointments, Nike has ensured that the experience will remain über-exclusive and highly memorable.
I was fortunate enough to be invited in a couple weeks ago...
