The Starck reality of travel
If you were to look for that individual who has made a global impact on the worlds of interior design, product design, industrial and architectural design, and has done so consistently since the 1980s, one name that would immediately come to mind would be that of school-dropout Frenchman Philippe Starck.
Beyond the hotels, restaurants and spaces that are credited to him, his concept of “democratic design” has led him to lend his genius to campaigns that push for well-designed quality objects and products that are not just reserved for the elite, but can be mass-marketed. His Kartell Louis Ghost chair and Tic Tac wall clock, his subversive Flos Gun Lamp, his kitchen utensils for Alessi, Duravit bathroom fittings, and even Fluocaril toothbrushes — these are just some of the multifarious ways Starck has insinuated himself, via design, into our everyday lives. And it would seem that, thanks to his new collaboration with luggage-maker Delsey, even when we leave our homes for work or pleasure, Starck will join us!
A “marriage” heaven-sent, this collaboration would seem destined in the stars. Delsey has always been a leading light in the manufacture of luggage and travel accessories since 1946, when the Delahaye brothers and the Seynhaeve brothers merged the first syllable of their surnames to form this very French brand. They now rank second in the world for their product category. And how better to trumpet the very Gallic provenance of Delsey than to bring the iconoclast French designer Philippe Starck into the fold via his StarckTrip collection. Known for his brash, inventive, at times whimsical or subversive design ethos, Starck once again surprises by going minimalist and extremely functional in his designs for this collection, StarckTrip. Uniformly designed in black, and accented only by mathematical symbols, it’s as if Starck is declaring a flat “no” to the fickle nature of fashion and colors, and saying here is something intelligent and timeless, and what more would we need for travel?
The intelligence comes in a very discreet manner via such features as the ergonomic design (for more efficient dragging and carrying); the choice of material (nanotechnology protects the inside and out of the bags and cases from dirt and bacteria); the strategic location of wheels, pockets, and handles, fabric screens that serve as protection from data theft; and the waterproof finish that is employed. On the evening I managed to view the collection, I was especially taken by the Cabin Duffle Bag, the Valise Trolley and the Reporter. Their Starck (yes, pun intended) simplicity belies the thought and design imbued in them.
Exclusively distributed by the Primer Group in the Philippines, there are Delsey stores nationwide, and Delsey can be found in leading department stores, and multi-brand establishments such as the Travel Club and Flight 001. This collaboration with Philippe Starck reaffirms Delsey’s French roots and their pursuit for affordable design excellence.
The young and breathless
One of the pleasures I get from reading is discovering new young authors that justify the acclaim and fanfare their publishers roll out, and leave us breathless with admiration. These three fit that category very well.
The Good Girl by Mary Kubica (available on Amazon.com) While the publicity blurbs have compared Kubica’s debut to Gone Girl, she has a more traditional approach to crime fiction, and on this novel, depends more on ingenious structure and keeping her cards close to her chest than infusing her work with dark humor. Mia Dennett, daughter of a Chicago judge with an illustrious background has gone missing, and we are given three narrators. Eve is Mia’s mother, Gabe the detective assigned to the case, and Colin, the man who abducted her. Through their eyes we slowly piece together an understanding of who Mia is, and the circumstance surrounding her disappearance. Jumping in time, enlightening us on the phenomenon of the Stockholm syndrome, and planting a neat surprise at the very end, are some of the pleasures of this book.
10:04 by Ben Lerner (available on Amazon.com) Traversing a genre that slyly mixes fiction with autobiography, Lerner gives us a novel rich with sophisticated and erudite language. He posits parallel and alternative realities to his own life, and transmutes these possibilities into a novel that asks us to stretch our knowledge of language, while appreciating sly humor and observations about contemporary life. Sandwiched between two big storms that threatened Manhattan in a single year, Lerner gifts us with a protagonist who uncannily is Lerner himself during that fateful year. The vignettes of multiple futures are at the core of this novel — Lerner with an aortic condition, acting as a sperm donor, heading to a Texas retreat for writers, and so on. Persistence rewards the reader, as the language is precious and dense.
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (available at Fully Booked) When a SARS-type pandemic hits Toronto, a worldwide end-of-the-world scenario is set in motion. This elegiac novel chronicles this end and the aftermath with its heart in the right place. A failed film actor expires performing King Lear on that Ground Zero night, and through a peculiar chain of people and events, we discover what humanity, the future, resilience and destiny have in store for us in this bleak world vision. The magic of this novel comes in the form of how despite the bleakness of the global vision, there is still so much richness and humanity to count on and unearth. Part dystopian tale, part futuristic adventure yarn, part human drama and rife with interconnecting linkages across space and time, this is a novel that exudes realized ambition.
