PressClub New Zealand · Article.
DESIGN ICONS SUPPORTING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE. MINI x PAUL SMITH.
Tue Nov 17 13:50:00 CET 2020 Press Release
MINI and designer Paul Smith have announced their second collaboration since 1999.
DESIGN ICONS SUPPORTING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.
MINI x PAUL SMITH.
- MINI and designer Paul Smith announce their second collaboration since 1999.
- British institutions with a strong tradition share a commitment to sustainability – making sure minimal resources are used to maximum effect.
- Further information on the planned collaboration will be announced in due course.
MINI and designer Paul Smith have announced their second collaboration since 1999.
Not only are they both British institutions with a strong tradition, they also share a commitment to ensuring their products make the future a better place, using available resources responsibly and to maximum effect.
In this new phase of their successful collaboration, the two brands will enter into a creative dialogue, working together to develop design solutions with an even stronger focus on sustainability.
The central idea behind the original Mini was a sustainable principle. Conceived in the midst of a global oil crisis, it was a family car that offered maximum space and driving enjoyment, while minimising its space footprint and the use of materials and resources.
The classic Mini showed how much more you can do with less – before anyone was even talking about sustainability. Reduction was a key aspect at the time and has therefore been an integral part of the MINI mindset since the brand’s earliest days.
“We are taking the sustainability-led concept of the first Mini further into the future with the MINI Vision Urbanaut – our vision for a spacious, multifunctional MINI model,” says Oliver Heilmer, Head of MINI Design. “It too offers maximum space within a small footprint. And it’s more versatile than ever. Moreover, the interior incorporates fully recycled materials, and we have avoided leather and chrome altogether.”
“Key to a lot of the most iconic examples of design is simplicity,” adds Sir Paul Smith. “In other words, it’s about what you leave out, not what you add. The thinking in fashion is similar. For Paul Smith, as for MINI, sustainability has always been a natural way of approaching things, even before the word was on everyone’s lips. We have always sought a responsible approach to materials and production conditions. Using recycled packaging, reducing fabric waste and powering our shops with renewable energy sources are just a few of the measures we have introduced and we’re constantly looking at ways that we can do more.”
For Oliver Heilmer, collaboration is the next logical step: “We are drawn to each other by our similarities, and then we inspire and enrich each other through the differences between the fashion world and the automotive industry. Because there is no future without sustainability.”
Sir Paul Smith is one of Britain’s foremost designers. He is renowned for his creative aesthetic, which combines tradition and modernity. In the late 1990s, Paul collaborated with Mini on a limited-run special edition of the classic Mini.
The car was painted in a shade of blue imagined by Sir Paul, and sported neatly coordinated anthracite alloy wheels. Equally – if not even more – popular was a one-off creation to mark the classic Mini’s 40th birthday. This one was painted in Smith’s signature multicolour stripes.
Further information on the planned collaboration will follow in due course.
- Ends -
The BMW Group
With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises 31 production and assembly facilities in 15 countries; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.
In 2019, the BMW Group sold over 2.5 million passenger vehicles and more than 175,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2019 was € 7.118 billion on revenues amounting to € 104.210 billion. As of 31 December 2019, the BMW Group had a workforce of 126,016 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.
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