Car, body, fashion

I was 18 when I first read The Nude by Kenneth Clark. Published in 1956, it was a sort of Bible for young aspiring aesthetes. I was on my way to becoming one, so I hoped, having enrolled on a pre-grad foundation in art and design. Many of Clark’s observations have been tirelessly quoted but the one that always resonates is this simple line: ‘The relation of head to body determines the standard by which we assess all other proportions in nature.’... Read More

Car design trends from Geneva

The Geneva Motor Show is one of the main yearly international exhibitions that tend to focus primarily on design studies and future trends. This year, sadly, the displays were generally of ‘real’ cars – automobiles that are made for today’s world but tend to lack the visionary insight to make them relevant to the bigger picture of mobility. This is a real shame as for the last few years we have been teased with a promise of a future... Read More

Car design trends: Frankfurt Motor Show 2011

We are at the start of the second life of the automobile. Up until recently, cars were more of less about individual mobility, personal space, about ownership. It has been about creating beautiful or quirky sculpture. With our diminishing fossil fuel reserves, concerns for the environment and world economic recession, the closeted, cosy world of the automobile has had to shift. I recall going to see controversial ex-BMW design boss Chris Bangle... Read More

New York fashion week 2011

A bitter cold chill wraps its way around the streets and avenues whilst frenzied fashion media, models and designers all vie to miss the mounds of snow and slush in their efforts to get in the back of a yellow cab for the next show and which is almost guaranteed to run late anyway. Welcome to New York Fashion Week, in association with Mercedes-Benz, whose cars provided a brief respite between points and bun fights. #gallery-4 { margin:... Read More

Car design trends from Paris Motor Show 2010

The mood at the Mondial de l’Automobile in Paris could be summarised in the few words uttered by Peugeot’s design director Gilles Vidal. ‘We are going through big changes in the automotive world,’ the visionary French designer said as he guided me though 200 years of Peugeot’s research and development displayed on the stand. ‘Progress in this area won’t only be through engines and technological solutions, but about making our... Read More

Mercedes-Benz product design sub-brand

Mercedes-Benz has created Style, a new sub-brand dedicated to the design of luxury good outside automotive design. ’We will create very selective luxury products in order to underline our image as a luxury maker and as a leading company in design,’ global design boss Gorden Wagener told us at the launch of Style. The marque’s images has arguably suffered in recent years – no longer seen to be at the forefront of high-end... Read More