Hasta La Ideas

News: a product suspected of being a hoax made by a non-existent company has been shortlisted for a major award at Dutch Design Week.

Bio-Customised Sneakers by Rayfish, which purport to be made of customisable, bio-engineered stingray skin, were part of the Nano Supermarket project shortlisted for the Future Concept prize at the Dutch Design Awards in Eindhoven last week.

However when the product was launched last year it was widely regarded as being fake. Utah State University biologist Randy Lewis said at the time: “To the best of my knowledge, there is no way to do what they claim.”

Rayfish claim that customers could create their own bespoke coloured pattern, and then scientists would breed a genetically modified stingrays with the pattern on their skin. “The ability to completely control the pattern that they imply has not been achieved for any animal,” said Lewis.

An example of the sneakers is on show at Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven this week, but the pattern on the shoe appears to be painted on, rather than created by genetically modifying the stingray.

A spokesperson from Dutch Design Week said the award organisers were aware of doubts about the veracity of the product.

“My colleagues form Dutch Design Awards have informed me that they are aware of the fact that the Rayfish are indeed fake,” said Heidi van Heumen of Dutch Design Week. “They are presented at the expo to make the visitors aware of what might be possible in the (nearby) future.”

She added: “Unfortunately this isn’t made very clear to the visitors. We will try to make it more clear to the public that the Rayfish are fake.”

The shoes are on show as part of the Nano Supermarket, a mobile store presenting speculative nanotech products that may hit the shelves within the next ten years.

It was one of six entries shortlisted for the Future Concepts prize, which was won by a project examining the impact on the world if people were just 50 centimetres tall called The Incredible Shrinking Man.

The Dutch Design Awards are an annual celebration of work by designers in the Netherlands that takes place during Dutch Design Week, and is organised by design platform Capital D.

The overall winner of the Golden Eye for design of the year at the awards went to Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen’s Voltage collection, which includes 3D-printed garments.

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for Dutch Design Awards appeared first on Dezeen.

This fashion collection made of heavy-duty black tarpaulin by graduate designer Martijn Van Strien is on show at Design Academy Eindhoven as part of Dutch Design Week, which kicked off yesterday.

Martijn Van Strien made each garment in his Dystopian Brutalist Outerwear collection from a single piece of tarpaulin, with only straight cuts and sealed seams so they are easy to manufacture.

“This series of coats explores the possibilities of combining very durable but inexpensive materials with fast and effective ways of putting them together,” said Van Strien.

“After the economic downfall and the decline of our society life on this planet will be tough and unsure,” he continued. “For people to survive they will need a protective outer layer which guards them from the harsh conditions of every day life.”

The Dutch designer explained that the basic shapes were inspired by Brutalist architecture. “It has an austere feeling due to the linear, fortresslike and blockish look,” he said. “The style comes off cold, distant, sober and mysterious.”

Martijn Van Strien was awarded the Keep and Eye Grant for his project at the opening of the show yesterday morning.

Images are by Imke Ligthart.

Here’s some more information from the Design Academy Eindhoven:

The future may be bright, but it might also be very dark, says Martijn van Strien. He considered the worst-case scenario and came up with the ultimate back-to-basics collection for harsh conditions.

Made with minimum cost and effort from a single piece of heavy-duty black tarpaulin, with only straight cuts and sealed seams. The styles are inspired by Brutalist architecture, giving this outerwear a linear, invincible look.

The design says it all: brace yourself and be safe.

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by Martijn Van Strien appeared first on Dezeen.

Competition: Dezeen has teamed up with publishers nai010 to give readers the chance to win a copy of a book full of innovative projects designed in the Netherlands over the past year.

Dutch Design Yearbook 2013 is a compilation of exemplary projects designed by Dutch creatives or completed in the Netherlands. The volume is published annually to coincide with Dutch Design Week, taking place from 19 to 27 October this year.

Images of architecture, interiors, installations, products and fashion design are accompanied by text in both Dutch and English.

Featured projects include fashion designer Iris Van Herpen’s Voltage collection of 3D-printed garments and a suspended walkway in Delft.

The book is published by Dutch company nai010 and is available to purchase here.

To enter this competition email your name, age, gender, occupation, and delivery address and telephone number to competitions@dezeen.com with “Dutch Design Yearbook 2013” in the subject line. We won’t pass your information on to anyone else; we just want to know a little about our readers. Read our privacy policy here.

You need to subscribe to our newsletter to have a chance of winning. Sign up here.

Competition closes 14 November 2013. Five winners will be selected at random and notified by email. Winners’ names will be published in a future edition of our Dezeen Mail newsletter and at the top of this page. Dezeen competitions are international and entries are accepted from readers in any country.

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Yearbook 2013 to be won appeared first on Dezeen.