Stylish shoes for Takumi masters: Lexus at Design Week

Access: 3:33 pm | Reading time: 4 minutes

SPX/Milan. Koichi Suga was taken with the shoes – and also the lining of the jackets. “It’s bold what people wear here in Milan, especially men. “It’s a big inspiration,” says Lexus’ head of design after his first experience at Milan Design Week. Toyota’s luxury brand has long had important role in this industry summit – and everyone interested in design and art. But Suga is interested in Lombardy and more than its brand image.

When you walk through the small and large stands, pop-up shops, industrial halls or palaces along Via Tortona in the city center, you can find an overview of fashion and innovation in a beautiful and functional design like nowhere else. from their own industry such as Kia, Range Rover or Mazda, who impress visitors with their design ideas. “I also like to look at what new furniture manufacturers or lighting companies have to offer.” After all, lightness and comfort are requirements that are becoming increasingly important in the production of cars.

The Japanese will certainly go to the hall occupied by the toilet manufacturer Geberit, for example. Basins and toilets from the Swiss company, which are market leaders in 50 countries, can also be seen there. Above all, one artist has created a water installation the size of a handball court, in which people put a sea cyclone in motion through their own space on it; unconscious and voluntary. Designers from all over the world strive to experiment.

Such profound changes that connect the digital and physical worlds are also a big trend in the mobile world. Hand movements that open the panoramic roof without touching it are early evidence of what is to come. The Korean colorist also shows how, when people walk through the tunnel, the play of colors around them on all the walls changes like a kaleidoscope.

“Light, noise and smell are also part of the design experience in the car,” says Hideki Yoshimoto. The 39-year-old is the founder and owner of London-based design agency Tangent, which also works for car manufacturers. In Milan he can be seen with the installation called “Beyond the horizon”. In the 30-meter-long darkroom are a series of two-meter-long, narrow columns that would also look good in Starship Spa. But when a visitor approaches the black statue, various beautiful and luminous paper surfaces appear inside. Master Japanese Takumi craftsmen invented traditional washi paper over 1,500 years ago. In this context, it stands as a symbol of innovation and future mobility. The Lexus LF-ZC concept car can also be seen in the middle of the work – “This is also a piece of the future, but despite its futuristic appearance, it can definitely be imagined with washi elements or traditional glass art inside,” He said. Yoshimoto in the middle of his installation.

Behind the artist, the sun rises in a meter-high projection, accompanied by the abstract sounds of musician and composer Keiichiro Shibuya. “This also shows my idea of ​​future design,” Tangent’s boss says, slowly placing his hands. “The digital world and that of the person in the car should be as close to each other as the palms of my hands – but not to cover each other.” in the car let IT play with the sound of IT. Only those who cope with the commands or the operating logic of their touch screen or buttons on the steering wheel can achieve success. But the car design of the future must be more individual and adaptable – not the people they have to serve.

Yoshimoto or Suga in Milan can already see such design philosophies being implemented in completely different companies. In the courtyard of a venerable 19th-century factory, elevator manufacturer Schindler is showing off elevators that recognize people’s destinations as soon as they enter using digitally linked hotel keys and greet them personally. More and more manufacturers are making the same thing possible in cars with digital car keys.

Despite all the networking and dealing with the person behind the wheel, the art is still to let the unmistakable character of the brand shine through. This is one of the reasons why designers in Milan like to look around the centers of well-known brands from completely different industries. At Lexus, design expert Suga relies on traditional elements such as Japanese craftsmanship and the elegant openness of many products from the land of the rising sun, especially as mobility changes: “That is also our approach to electric cars that are coming soon. “

And designer Yoshimoto can easily imagine lights and soundscapes that depend only on the mood of the person behind the wheel. Sensors, driving behavior or internal camera can provide relevant information. A fully immersive experience in the living room of the car. There are still many ideas to discover in Milan.