Tag Archives: Philippe Starck

Philippe Starck’s luggage goes nano

For anyone unfamiliar with Philippe Starck, there’s this from his Wikipedia entry (Note: Links have been removed),

Philippe Starck is a French designer[1] who has become widely known since the start of his career in the 1980s[2] for his interior, product, industrial and architectural design work.

A minimalist, Starck’s work is ‘stark’. In an interesting publicity campaign, his latest collection of travel gear is mentioned in a Feb. 4, 2015 news item on Nanotechnology Now,

In association with Philippe Starck, renowned French creator, designer and architect, DELSEY is reinventing the world of travel with the launch of STARCKTRIP, a new collection of luggage conceived on a single concept: intelligence in motion. Bold, original and innovative, leaving the fickle constraints of fashion behind to embrace timelessness.

The launch for this line was originally announced in an Oct. 9, 2014 Starck press release which includes a bit about the nanotechnology-enabled features of this luggage,

HIGH TECH DISCRETION
The materials used take advantage of the latest technological innovations but manage to be discrete about it. Nanotechnology is used to protect the bags and
cases, inside and out, from dirt and bacteria; fabric screens also protect against data theft; gentle plastic moulded material provides unparalleled rolling comfort, smoothness and silence. In addition, anti-rain treatment of the surfaces ensures that you, the business traveller, keep your belongings dry at all times. [emphases mine]

I’m not sure about the dirt but the protection from bacteria makes it sound like they’ve added nanoscale silver to the luggage and the anti-rain treatment sounds like a nanotechnology-enabled superhydrophobic coating of some kind. Unfortunately there are no details to be had on either Philippe Starck’s website or on the Delsey website. BTW, the middle-aged male model in the Starck press release, is M. Philippe Starck himself.