ONE APPLE ONE DAY: Luca Nichetto immerses himself in fashion accessories.
The furniture designer, known for his approach to a series of collaborations, has teamed up with New York-based accessories brand Angela Roi to design a tote bag crafted from apple skin.
This is the first time that the handbag brand, founded by South Korea-born Roi in 2012, has ventured into a collaboration.
“We adopt the values of sustainability by taking advantage of ecological and high-quality materials. plant-based [leather] Alternatives… are the new frontier of eco-fashion that taps into our customers’ demand for items that benefit the planet,” said Roi, who has designed faux cactus leather bags in the past.
Called Malala, the bag nods to Nichetto’s functional approach to design tinged with pop references. Features four inward-facing structured pockets shaped like fast food chip boxes.
Nichetto’s desire to design a bag stemmed from her quest to apply functionality to a new product category, the bag’s eco-credentials an added value that designers can’t ignore, she said.
“Form is dictated by function…hence pockets, which help streamline and organize all the items in a woman’s bag. I did not want to approach leather goods from an aesthetic point of view, but that the functionality determines the stylistic design of the object”, said the designer.
Available in three color combinations (beige, black and dark red), the bag retails for €1,050, making its debut on Angela Roi’s e-commerce site on Tuesday.
Nichetto has a history as a serial collaborator, having linked up with the Vienna-based furniture company Wittmann; Hermes; Ginori Porcelain and Houseware Mark 1735; the Swedish furniture design company Offecct, as well as the American piano manufacturing company Steinway & Sons, among others.
A new piano under this latest association is presented this week, called Gran Nichetto and inspired by the shell of Venetian gondolas. It is produced as a limited edition.
Nichetto Studio was established in 2006 in Stockholm, Sweden. Earlier this year, Nichetto left his position as art director for French fashion and furniture company La Manufacture, which he helped establish as a fully-fledged design company since assuming creative leadership in 2018.