Marie Redding, Senior Editor03.17.21
P&G’s Braun is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
Braun states on Instagram:
“From the very beginning in 1921, Braun was characterized by its progressive ideas, innovative product solutions, and its use of the latest technical developments, which Braun's founder, Max Braun, was able to transform into products. Products that people needed, that simplified everyday living and that stood the test of time.”
Braun’s razors—and other personal care and home devices—are in celebratory cartons to mark the occasion. They feature a colorful ‘100’ printed on top.
Braun also tapped one of the hottest designers right now for a collab—Virgil Abloh, artistic director of Louis Vuitton Menswear, aka ‘streetwear pioneer.’
Abloh is also a DJ and the chief creative officer and founder of Off-White, which has an art-meets-fashion vibe. (Abloh is American, and Off-White is based in Milan.) He’s also very much in demand at the moment.
Abloh says in the video below:
"We all make stuff; the goal is to make it with purpose.”
Redesigning the 1965 Wandanlage
Braun asked Abloh to redesign its 1965 ‘Wandanlage’ a hi-fi audio wall unit.Abloh redesigned it as “functional art”— featuring a sleek, chrome finish. It comes with a mixed tape he made in collaboration with Houston DJ OG Ron C.
Abloh says, “’Functional art’ is a lasting legacy of the enduring power of good design that is simple, useful and built to last.”
The original Wandanlage, GQ’s Sam Reiss writes, “is an assemblage of speakers, a radio tuner and a reel-to-reel tape player set horizontally on a wall, with a turntable and Vitsoe-like shelving below.”
It was designed by Dieter Rams, who was Braun’s head of design for 30 years—and a major influence on Apple’s signature look. (FYI: See 5 Braun Designs that Influenced Apple)
Braun’s razors have changed—drastically—over the years.
Photos Above
Take a look at how Braun’s razors have changed over the years in the image above, and click through to see Virgil Abloh and the newly designed 1965 Wandanlage.P&G continually focuses on ‘good design’ —along with beauty tech innovations, such as its Oral B’s iO toothbrush, which required six years of R&D.
