Louisa Hearn
Haute couture has shifted its gaze from the catwalk to the world of high technology as the world's top fashion houses jostle to stamp their exclusive labels on mobile handsets and other personal devices.
Italian fashion designer, Giorgio Armani, is the latest to direct his talents to mobile phone design, with the joint launch last month of a credit card-sized 3G phone with Samsung.
The shiny 9.9mm-thick touchpad phone is intended to reflect Armani's signature simplicity. Expected to cost somewhere around the $1000 mark, Armani says the phone was designed to cater for "those who aspire to own a technologically advanced and beautifully designed telephone".
Much like the recently launched LG Prada KE850 phone - retailing in Australia for $999 - the Armani phone has followed Apple's lead and done away with the traditional keypad, leaving users with a compact, glossy handset prominently displaying the designer's label.
"The idea was that we wanted to create a phone that felt like a natural part of Armani line-up. To do that it had to echo the general theme that he puts forward in his fashion label," says Kurt Jovais, Samsung's general manager of marketing.
Although cynics might argue that collaborations with the likes of Prada and Armani are little more than a branding exercise for the handset makers, both LG and Samsung are quick to emphasise the input made by their new partners.
LG says Prada's involvement in designing the KE850 extends well beyond simple aesthetics into the phone's touch screen interface, ringtones, content, and accessories.
Armani, who presented his namesake mobile phone at a press briefing in Milan before his Spring/Summer 2008 women's fashion show, is similarly credited.
"While the Armani brand certainly does help, we're not relying on a brand association in order to put this phone forward. This is a beautiful phone in its own right and one of the reasons why it is so is because it was co-designed with Armani," says Mr Jovais.
Samsung's partnership with Armani is not the handset maker's first foray into the fashion world. It has previously collaborated in one-off projects with the likes of Betsy Johnson, Diane von Furstenberg and Anna Sui to create phones that strongly echo their unique design style.
But fashion can be fickle and one high profile fashion partnership that has not stood the test of time is Motorola's collaboration with Dolce & Gabbana last year.
Motorola said the partnership with D&G, which resulted in a line of gold and silver models for its popular Razr phone, served as a vehicle to launch its own luxury handset designs.
Stephen Amiet, national marketing manager for Motorola says: "As a sponsor of Melbourne Fashion Week last year, we thought the D&G model would complement our focus in fashion. The product worked quite well for us but we don't have any plans for another one coming up."
Similar one-off branding exercises are happening in conjunction with the automobile industry, where the likes of Nokia, Vertu and Motorola are incorporating the logos of luxury car models such as Lamborghini, Porsche and Ferrari in order to launch limited edition phones for car enthusiasts.
But Armani's relationship with Samsung is intended to be far more than a one-off collaboration. On the contrary, Samsung says his influence is expected to reach well beyond mobile phones and into the unlikely terrain of televisions and laptops.
No stranger to the world outside fashion, the designer has been actively involved in the design of a chain of Armani-branded hotels and resorts for Dubai property group, Emaar, with his primary input being the creation of interiors and amenities.
"Today, fashion has expanded to encompass our way of life, not just how we dress, but how we design our home, the hotels we stay in, the car we drive and the technology we buy. In fact, we make as much of a personal statement with the mobile phones that we carry or the televisions we have in our living rooms as we do with the shoes and bags we wear or the furnishings we chose to place in our homes," says Mr Armani.
This dovetails with Samsung's own efforts to re-invigorate the look of household products. "This is not just about having a fashion accessory in your pocket but also making a style statement in the kitchen or lounge room," says Mr Jovais.
He says the addition of rounded corners, unusual angles, upside down chevrons and blue colour accents are all evidence that Samsung televisions are breaking out of the rectangular prison that has held them captive since their invention.
Melanie Moss, a professional stylist, believes incorporating fashion experts into the design process of electronic devices is a logical step.
"They understand the emotional needs of a customer, things like: why are their customers brand loyal, how do they want to appear to the outside world, how do they feel about themselves. I believe these things have more to do with purchasing a phone than what it can and can't do technology-wise," she says.
She adds that style is more about being slick and understated than about over-the-top bling, with accessories adding the personal touch consumers crave.
"Everyone wants to be able to personalise their accessories. We see key fobs hanging off bags and manga characters hanging off phones and wallets etc," says Ms Moss.
Research conducted by Motorola this year indicates that more than three quarters of Australians believe the colour of their mobile phone reflects their own personality, while almost half admit to prejudging others based on the colour of their phone.
More than 50 per cent of those polled also say they prefer to be recognised as "one of a kind" and were thus more likely to chose a specific colour if it was part of a limited edition handset.
Specially designed leather carrying cases, bluetooth headsets and headphones, ringtones and even pre-loaded content are all additional areas where designers are hoping to tap into this need to stand out.
"In Australia the phone has become such a fashion accessory, and women in particular want to be seen as fashionable in every sense. They also want it to reflect their personality and to personalise it to suit their style and taste. No one is going to buy an ugly phone," says Mr Amiet.
But Samsung hopes the Armani label will help it transcend gender divisions. "It is a stylish phone and in the true sense of Armani I think it appeals to both genders," says Mr Jovais.
"They both want something that looks good and there will be a certain amount of bragging rights when you put it on the table".
Sphere: Related Content
Haute couture has shifted its gaze from the catwalk to the world of high technology as the world's top fashion houses jostle to stamp their exclusive labels on mobile handsets and other personal devices.
Italian fashion designer, Giorgio Armani, is the latest to direct his talents to mobile phone design, with the joint launch last month of a credit card-sized 3G phone with Samsung.
The shiny 9.9mm-thick touchpad phone is intended to reflect Armani's signature simplicity. Expected to cost somewhere around the $1000 mark, Armani says the phone was designed to cater for "those who aspire to own a technologically advanced and beautifully designed telephone".
Much like the recently launched LG Prada KE850 phone - retailing in Australia for $999 - the Armani phone has followed Apple's lead and done away with the traditional keypad, leaving users with a compact, glossy handset prominently displaying the designer's label.
"The idea was that we wanted to create a phone that felt like a natural part of Armani line-up. To do that it had to echo the general theme that he puts forward in his fashion label," says Kurt Jovais, Samsung's general manager of marketing.
Although cynics might argue that collaborations with the likes of Prada and Armani are little more than a branding exercise for the handset makers, both LG and Samsung are quick to emphasise the input made by their new partners.
LG says Prada's involvement in designing the KE850 extends well beyond simple aesthetics into the phone's touch screen interface, ringtones, content, and accessories.
Armani, who presented his namesake mobile phone at a press briefing in Milan before his Spring/Summer 2008 women's fashion show, is similarly credited.
"While the Armani brand certainly does help, we're not relying on a brand association in order to put this phone forward. This is a beautiful phone in its own right and one of the reasons why it is so is because it was co-designed with Armani," says Mr Jovais.
Samsung's partnership with Armani is not the handset maker's first foray into the fashion world. It has previously collaborated in one-off projects with the likes of Betsy Johnson, Diane von Furstenberg and Anna Sui to create phones that strongly echo their unique design style.
But fashion can be fickle and one high profile fashion partnership that has not stood the test of time is Motorola's collaboration with Dolce & Gabbana last year.
Motorola said the partnership with D&G, which resulted in a line of gold and silver models for its popular Razr phone, served as a vehicle to launch its own luxury handset designs.
Stephen Amiet, national marketing manager for Motorola says: "As a sponsor of Melbourne Fashion Week last year, we thought the D&G model would complement our focus in fashion. The product worked quite well for us but we don't have any plans for another one coming up."
Similar one-off branding exercises are happening in conjunction with the automobile industry, where the likes of Nokia, Vertu and Motorola are incorporating the logos of luxury car models such as Lamborghini, Porsche and Ferrari in order to launch limited edition phones for car enthusiasts.
But Armani's relationship with Samsung is intended to be far more than a one-off collaboration. On the contrary, Samsung says his influence is expected to reach well beyond mobile phones and into the unlikely terrain of televisions and laptops.
No stranger to the world outside fashion, the designer has been actively involved in the design of a chain of Armani-branded hotels and resorts for Dubai property group, Emaar, with his primary input being the creation of interiors and amenities.
"Today, fashion has expanded to encompass our way of life, not just how we dress, but how we design our home, the hotels we stay in, the car we drive and the technology we buy. In fact, we make as much of a personal statement with the mobile phones that we carry or the televisions we have in our living rooms as we do with the shoes and bags we wear or the furnishings we chose to place in our homes," says Mr Armani.
This dovetails with Samsung's own efforts to re-invigorate the look of household products. "This is not just about having a fashion accessory in your pocket but also making a style statement in the kitchen or lounge room," says Mr Jovais.
He says the addition of rounded corners, unusual angles, upside down chevrons and blue colour accents are all evidence that Samsung televisions are breaking out of the rectangular prison that has held them captive since their invention.
Melanie Moss, a professional stylist, believes incorporating fashion experts into the design process of electronic devices is a logical step.
"They understand the emotional needs of a customer, things like: why are their customers brand loyal, how do they want to appear to the outside world, how do they feel about themselves. I believe these things have more to do with purchasing a phone than what it can and can't do technology-wise," she says.
She adds that style is more about being slick and understated than about over-the-top bling, with accessories adding the personal touch consumers crave.
"Everyone wants to be able to personalise their accessories. We see key fobs hanging off bags and manga characters hanging off phones and wallets etc," says Ms Moss.
Research conducted by Motorola this year indicates that more than three quarters of Australians believe the colour of their mobile phone reflects their own personality, while almost half admit to prejudging others based on the colour of their phone.
More than 50 per cent of those polled also say they prefer to be recognised as "one of a kind" and were thus more likely to chose a specific colour if it was part of a limited edition handset.
Specially designed leather carrying cases, bluetooth headsets and headphones, ringtones and even pre-loaded content are all additional areas where designers are hoping to tap into this need to stand out.
"In Australia the phone has become such a fashion accessory, and women in particular want to be seen as fashionable in every sense. They also want it to reflect their personality and to personalise it to suit their style and taste. No one is going to buy an ugly phone," says Mr Amiet.
But Samsung hopes the Armani label will help it transcend gender divisions. "It is a stylish phone and in the true sense of Armani I think it appeals to both genders," says Mr Jovais.
"They both want something that looks good and there will be a certain amount of bragging rights when you put it on the table".
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