iFashion

We may only be halfway through, but 2012 has already been a remarkable year for Porsche Design (PD). I’ve often heard that 40 is a year of deep reflection for most, so let’s look at a few highlights of the Porsche Design’s 40^th year so far…

In January they launched the much anticipated & largest Porsche Design store in the world (at 250 square meters) in Soho, New York. It includes a VIP shopping area and a specially designed wall showcasing the brand’s journey of 40 years of “Iconic Style”. “With the store in Soho we are taking the Porsche Design luxury brand to the next level - not only in New York City and the United States of America but globally”, says Dr. Juergen Gessler, CEO of Porsche Design Group.

The RawTec Blazer went on to receive the red dot “best of the best” award in the Fashion, Lifestyle and Accessories category. The design quality is unrivalled. This blazer (can I have it in red please?) is top of my lust list.

The Porsche Design P‘9981 smartphone by BlackBerry has been awarded the title of “Smartphone of the Year 2012” by the prestigious Plus X Award®. With specs to impress any techie, the P‘8881 combines performance, power and design with finishes in stainless steel and leather, putting it in a class of its own.

May 2012 brought in yet another accolade when Porsche Design Sport (i.e.the collaboration between Porsche Design and Adidas which launched in 1996) was named Most Innovative Brand 2012 by the Plus X Award® in the footwear category. This recoginised Porsche Design Sport’s relentless efforts in pushing the boundaries and seamlessly packaging technology, comfort, performance and of course, style.

Porsche Design is certainly celebrating their 40th in style (we wouldnt expect anything less!) having released a line of merchandise marked “40Y“ like this ‘40Y of Innovation’ collector’s box featuring four of their most iconic sunglasses launched since their inception in back in 1972. The set is presented in a beautiful black wooden box. Each box each is individually marked with a unique number to show it is one of only 1 972 limited editions produced worldwide to commemorate the founding year and celebrate the 40th anniversaryof Porsche Design’s engineered luxury.

Not least of these accomplishments (but my personal favourite – I’m bias ok!) was the launch of the very special Hyde Park store. This is the very 1^st store (of well over 100) on the African continent and one of only 2 concept stores around the word – the other being in Singapore. With the Hyde Park opening Porsche Design has truly come full circle, now boasting a store on every continent in the world. And they’re not slowing down with some 30 more store openings planned for the balance of 2012.

The focus locally for Porsche Design remains growing the brand Michael Griffin, CEO of Porsche Design SA tells us of this local subsidiary. He goes on to mention that they are already exploring 3 further sites in Cape Town, OR International Airport and Nigeria. Porsche Design will also extend its current range with more luxurious offerings such as women’s fragrances down the line. Michael mentions he is off on a “buying conference” in Germany next week and my imagination runs wild at the thought of the merchandise….

Here’s hoping I’ll be this accomplished on my 40^th, best I get cracking! Happy, happy birthday Porsche Design! I know you will have many more and will certainly live up to that adage of getting better with age.

W