We’ve an illustrious history of creative coupling here at Wallpaper*, and in our most innovative year yet, we thought we’d take London’s Design Festival 2009 as our cue to add a few more collaborations to our already bulging portfolio.
Swiss Army knife manufacturer Victorinox has a long history of design innovation, having produced one of the world’s most iconic, functional pieces of design.
As such, Wallpaper* saw LDF 2009 as the perfect opportunity to couple up with Victorinox to produce our very own Army Knife, as well as conscripting in British designers Jamie Cullen and James Joyce to also come up with a one-off design of their own.
See Wallpaper’s, Jamie Cullen’s and James Joyce’s designs for a Swiss Army Knife
Both known for their bold illustrative approaches, Cullen and Joyce seemed like ideal candidates for the role, selected by Wallpaper’s Art Director, Meirion Pritchard to ‘create an elemental design that expressed the beauty of its craftsmanship and function in a visual and tactile way’.
The result speaks for itself. Encased in untreated wood, the Wallpaper* Swiss Army Knife features undulating contour lines etched into the surface. An accurate representation of the mountainous landscape of Ibach in Switzerland – where the Victorinox factory is based – the image is a tactile link to the home of the Swiss Army Knife itself – an intuitive addition which only goes to epitomise Wallpaper’s distinctive design approach.
Last week saw the intimate launch of Wallpaper* Cuts at the Victorinox flagship store on New Bond Street. With the windows and displays all designed by Wallpaper*, the event was the perfect way to welcome our Swiss Army Knife into the world – with sumptuous cocktails made with an array of Funkin juices.
We’ve got a small number of these one-off design knives up for sale on our website. Limited to a global range of 100 and available for £70, the one-off Wallpaper* Swiss Army Knife will be sold on a first-come-first-serve basis. Email us at wallpapercuts@wallpaper.com for more information on how to get hold of one of Wallpaper’s unique Victorinox Swiss Army knives.
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