MIUZU

I make it a regular practice to scan the latest design magazines.  One of my faves is Wallpaper. I was overjoyed to see the July issue – the front cover of which promised a smorgasbord of tantalizing visuals and compelling content – where sex meets design.

Finding this incredible work in such a mainstream magazine is incredibly inspiring.  The things that Saville and his project partner Nick Knight say about this concept perfectly capture an important precept behind MIUZU. In Nick Knight’s words:

“You’re not just producing objects to be a part of your sex life, you’re actually sexualizing the whole of your environment.”

Some of the furnishings portrayed are quite scandalous.  I’ve held for a long time that fetish is too marginal and intimidating (dare I say unappetizing?) for most people.  That said, in the context of impeccably good taste, it can take on a very different erotic flavour.  Needless to say, I welcome feedback from anyone who cares to comment!

Please do follow the link to SHOWstudio.  The content there is delicious, intelligent, and plentiful.  While you’re at it, look around youtube for Peter Saville interviews.  The guy is a genius, and is notable for some monumental work in graphic design for pop music.  It’s fair to say that most designers worth their weight have been influenced by him.

Bonus points to anyone who knows him and adds some thoughts at the end of this post.  I’ll end it for now, but will most likely come back later to augment this entry.

Sex is an awesome privilege.  A gift of being human. In it, we can escape the frenzy of the day, seek refuge from worries about duty, connect with ourselves and others, and experience moments that we remember for the rest of our lives.

But like in any grand human pursuit, we need the guidance of sages.  No matter how smart and sophisticated we may think ourselves.

At MIUZU, we love DESIGN.  But DESIGN is worthless if it doesn’t connect with people. So I’ve always known that we needed to offer more than just objects and environmental concepts.

A few months back, I had the pleasure of meeting a Canadian sexologist whose main thesis addresses the challenge of keeping eroticism alive and well in modern life.  And when I read her book, Til Sex Do Us Part, I was sold:  we need this gal to strengthen the foundation of our proposition.

After all, where there is sex, there are people, and where there are people, there are agenda.  Trina’s work is all about aligning agenda – so sex works for people.

To get started, Trina will be mining from her massive collection of writings to provide you with advice and insight that you will find compelling and useful.  In the future, expect all sorts of interesting new ideas to emerge from our collaboration.

Trina, we’re glad you’re here!

Dave

kanYe West’s blog was quite a find. It’s clear he fancies himself much more than a rapper.  His videos tell the same story.  Either he has great taste, or an awesome creative director.

Witness this gem, from a spanish design firm called Sytem Design Studio.  The iLamp.  I’ll forgive them the name choice, but consider the cleverness of the concept…

It’s another one of those “simple but brilliant” concepts that you can’t help but love.

LED technology is having a delightful impact on the freedom extended to designers.

Oh, the fun we can have!

Definitely check our kanYe’s blog – it may be a little light on the verbage, but the imagery’s great.

Dave

I think the idea is fairly obvious:  design a refuge, an enclosure, that helps to protect lovers / sleepers from the distractions and annoyances of the outside world.  Make it wonderful to behold.  Make it even more wonderful to dwell within.  And offer it to a world starved for tranquility.

The creative minds at Lomme have done it. They’ve created a small and very intimate sanctuary. It combines light, sound, and massage therapies in a designed environment that enhances all the senses.

The form is designed to reduce the intrusion of outside noise.  A discretely built-in iPod and sound system allows the user to add relaxing sounds and music. The Lomme mattress is available with embedded massage functions that can be edited by the user. Surprisingly, the bed shell encloses an antimagnetic field that blocks ambient electromagnetic waves and radiation.

Making the experience even more exotic, the Lomme bed is equipped with lighting that can simulate sunrise and sunset. It really seems they didn’t miss a thing.

At 42,000 Euros, the Lomme bed is high end.  But if you’re on the market for a major investment in your intimate life, this could be it.

We desperately hope to be able to offer it to you!

Dave

Many artists brandish a lens (or a brush)  to capture  the beauty of the world around us.  Art that simply indulges in beauty can be like candy: the effect is very temporary. It washes over us and is gone.

But…. sometimes that art is powerful, permanently affecting our state of mind and view of the world around us.

Last night I had the privilege of seeing the work of an artist with that special power… Chris Jordanobserves mundane objects from contemporary life in a stunningly rich and beautiful manner. At a distance, it’s gorgeous.  Close up, it’s frightening.  Chris shows how little things in large numbers become very very big and very very important. The net impact gives meaning to a specific number (connected to that object), that otherwise would be almost meaningless.

How many tuna do we harvest?

20,500 tuna every 15 minutes

How many plastic cups do we use and trash on airplanes?

How many sharks are killed and pillaged for their fins?

270,000 sharks every day

How much oil are we consuming?

To hear the artist talk about his passion, check out his presentation at TED.

Chris’ work has enlightened me.  I hope you see and enjoy a similar effect…

Dave

I’m hearing this question a fair bit.

I suspect the term “green” is headed to the bin with other over-hyped, over-used and abused terms.  But having said that…here’s how I answer the question:

1) we have spent a great deal of energy developing new manufacturing methods/materials that are more green than anything commonly attempted today.  It’s where leading-edge technology meets traditional production. The techniques are still in development, and it will be a while longer before we can fully implement them.

2) until then, we are pursuing the “green initiative” the way any thoughtful producer can:  by developing products that are mindful of real utility, and ensuring that what we make will be loved and cherished for a long time into the future.

We are against the development and production of objects that are imminently destined for landfill.

Dave

Every once and awhile, a whimsical product concept flits through my mind.  Given we have a million of them, every once and awhile I will post one for feedback.  I would welcome messages from anyone who finds this interesting and has something of value to say…

A Vibe, a Lube, and a Fragrance

The labels are whimsical too – they don’t completely capture the spirit of our brand.  But you can probably guess what each one of these cylinders offers…

Dave

It seems like every day someone says to me, “I LOVE your idea/strategy/plan!  But since it’s about sex, I can’t work with / buy from / help you.”

Everyone has a sense that there is a very big market here, but they are loathe to be associated with it.  And it’s never about the tastes/preferences of the person I’m interacting with.  It’s always what they think someone else might think…  And if you explicitly followed the trail to the person who’s opinions are stalling everyone before them in the chain, you’d find that they were some totally dysfunctional shut-in from the backwaters that may really need some therapeutic intervention.

There’s the private conversation about our domain (sex) and the public one.  And for so many people, the two are necessarily in conflict…because to be honest about it is to admit to things over which so many people feel shame.

Our attitudes are so broken.

But I think this is where the intrigue lies!  At the end of the day, we’re still human, and we have needs that are completely natural.  And whether we feel good about it or not, we fulfill them! One way or another…

Our job as a brand is to give access to a different psychic linkage; to uncouple the element of shame from the erotic: to make it socially compelling.

I’ll be writing more about this in the future. I love this stuff!

Dave