Celebrity design for sanitary napkins makes you hipper once a month

In one of the stranger takes on the celebrity-designer theme, TV talent and half of the Osaka manzai comedy duo Othello, Naomi Matsushima has lent her name and designs to a series of sanitary napkins from P&G’s Whisper line.

Note: Whisper is exclusive to Asia (actually a little research turns up that around the troublesome India-Pakistan P&G’s Always line of sanitary napkins becomes Whisper).

It turns out that on her latest TV variety show, Kira Kira Afro, Matsushima mentioned that she wanted to “design whisper” so that “women could pass their menstrual period more happily.”

And voila! P&G has announced that from the end of June a special edition of “Silky Soft Slims” will feature Matsushima’s designs, one version with stars and one with camouflage.

We are used to seeing celebrity designers for products that owners are proud to show off and call their own, like mobile phones and MP3 players, so it is entertaining (though not necessarily trendsetting) to see a popular TV talent decorating a product that is, err, not really a talking point.

Tags: Celebrities, design, FMCG

MINIInternational Magazine Kyoto Mash-Up party

Last weekend CScout Japan teamed up with MINI Japan, Kreative Konzeption, and Metropolis to help put on the Kyoto Mash-Up party at hip event space Sfera, celebrating the latest edition of MINIInternational Magazine.

The stars of the party, of course, were the stars of the magazine, which focused on Kyoto’s booming art/design/music scene. Music was provided by acclaimed Kyoto-based DJ Halfby and DJ Nic Jagger who flew in from Germany for the event.

You’ll have to pick up your own copy to get the full experience, but MINIInternational magazine features a broad cross-section of modern Kyoto from traditional architect Katsumi Yasuda to director Kazushige Togo, and SOUSOU footwear designer Takeshi Wakabayashi. This isn’t the typical “outsider looking in” view of Kyoto, but was written by experts who were either born in Kyoto, or have adopted it as a second home.

Thus far there’s been great coverage of the party/magazine, from press, featured artists, and attendees (See 1, 2, 3, 4) to MINI dealers here.

Stunning papercraft was on display from Eriko Horiki, a featured MINI
International artist.

Kudos to MINI Japan for their support, and Kreative Konzeption and Metropolis for putting together an amazing event with a top-notch guest list. Special thanks to Roland Hagenberg, Yoshihito Sasaguchi, and Yasuyuki Sodeoka for putting together an amazing magazine with their deep expertise on Kyoto.

Of course, many thanks to the artists and guests that came to celebrate together, as well as all of the caterers, Sfera staff and management, and all others involved in making this project a success.

It’s amazing how many people go into making a single party, but we had a great time, and hope everyone else did as well.

To sum up, here’s some more DJ Halfby for your listening pleasure.

Tags: Architecture, Art, Automotive, design, Mini, music, Parties, Press

Celebrities personalize your digital toys

It isn’t enough these days for your mobile phone or MP3 player to use the latest technology, they should also be designed by your favorite actor or pop singer. Or at least one of the ones who have signed on to design products marketed to the growing number of consumers who are looking to express their personality through their digital toys.

Sony has released an MP3 player in collaboration with J-Pop icons Puffy Amiyumi. Both of the two designs have a retro pop look that also happens to be very fashionable among teens and young women this season.

Softbank, Japan’s fastest growing mobile phone service provider, has announced that pop star Koda Kumi is the latest celebrity to lend her name and questionable design talent to a series of handsets as part of the Fan Fun series.

The bright pink phone comes in three designs “strawberry,” “cherry,” and “candy&pumps” and is obviously targeted at the lucrative cute-obsessed teen and tween market that make up Koda’s fan base. The celebrity-designer element extends to the menus, wallpaper, call and mail indicators, and phone pouch.

Other celebrity collaborations in the 29 design strong series include Bae Yong Joon, the Korean heartthrob popular with middle-aged women, and Riyoko Ikeda, creator of the popular 1970s manga series La Rose de Versailles featuring the cross-dressing heroine Lady Oscar. Both of these examples show that those consumer wishing to express their fandom are not limited to impressionable teens.

Not only do these designer phones allow a degree of personalization, they virtually ensure that customers will need to replace their handsets often.

After all, how much longer can it be cool to carry around the DJ Ozma phone?

Tags: celebrity, design, Mobile

Luxury toilet from Inax plays music, illuminates

If it is possible for a toilet to be sexy, this one just might be. The Regio from Inax, planned for a June release is designed to grace the dressing room or powder room of the most discerning consumer.

Completely silent, except for the soft relaxing music that plays when the seat lifts, this tankless toilet uses a combination of water and air power for soundless, water-saving flushing. Jazz pianist Yoshiko Kishino contributed an original compositions for the toilet, um, soundtrack.

Of course the Regio comes with all the standard washlet functions, like the bidet and bum cleaning sprays from hidden nozzles, that have made Japanese toilets world famous (and made toilets a suitable subject for the travel photo slideshow). Other premium features include a mechanism that emits germ killing ions (courtesy of Sharp), an illuminated toilet bowl, and an extra wide seat for increased comfort.

This sports car of a toilet sells for a cool ¥462,000 (brilliant white) or ¥556,500 (noble black). If you consider, however, that most Tokyoites use the toilet far more than they would a car, its not a bad choice.

Tags: design, ecology, Toilets

Kasane wine bottle-balancing holder

For wine lovers who like nice design, but especially Japanese lacquer ware, we found this amazing bottle holder from Yamakyu Urushi’s Kasane line. Made of wood and lacquer, it balances the bottle perfectly on the table (when full of course).

We aren’t sure about the type of wood, but it was incredibly light when we picked it up. Aside from balancing a full bottle better than you can balance after one, it looks quite nice on its own as well.

Product Page

Tags: cscout, design, Wine

Recycled rice Eco Chopsticks

What’s could be more eco-friendly then carrying around your own “my hashi” personal chopsticks to use instead of the ubiquitous disposable kind? Personal chopsticks made from rice-based biomass plastic, of course!

Index has released the “Rice Eco Chopsticks,” made from a polymer base of unusable rice (due to expiration, damaged packaging, etc.) and polypropelene, to which a resin is added. The final product, made of 35% rice and with 30% less carbon emissions than plastic produced by the processing of fossil fuels, comes in white and natural colors (coincidently, just like rice).

Following an appearance on Fuji TV, the environmentally correct chopsticks are available from the Fuji TV shop for ¥945.

With the eco-boom permeating just about every industry (for example here and here), we’re seeing a lot of products that tread the line between progressive and fad, however these chopsticks seem safely on the innovative side.

Tags: design, ecology, food