Images: Tom Nicholas’ “Tock”, The Spherical Clock; Louis Smith’s “Duro”; Joanna Gabrys
“Folka”; Zahra Hanafi’s “hansha” ikebana vase and Kim Denton’s “La Rapida” cup
2022 marks the 8th year of Retail Therapy, a project in which 4th year Product Design Engineering students at The Glasgow School of Art/University of Glasgow apply their creativity to develop products conceived especially for retail sale. The latest collection of designs – which are ideal for Christmas gifts – will go on sale today, Thursday 8 December.
The 2022 Retail Therapy collection offers the chance to get ahead of the crowd and snap up a future design classic – such as the original Glasgow Monuments Chess Set, which was designed as part of Retail Therapy 4 in 2018.
This year’s products start from as little as £14 (plus p&p) and include bespoke vases, cups, candle holders, a jewellery box, a kinetic sculpture, a clock and and a banana holder, and will be available for sale via www/pdecollection.com.
“Each year our students have been challenged to create something that is finished, packaged, branded and offered for sale,” says Hugh Pizey, lecturer in Product Design Engineering at The Glasgow School of Art.
“This brings huge challenges, but the students have risen to this challenge and this year have once again created a range of high-quality products, which they are launching today.”
For full information on designs in the 2022 PDE Christmas collection see Notes for Editors.
Ends
For further information and images contact:
Lesley Booth
077799414474
Notes for Editors
- Retail Therapy 8 is supported by Autodesk
Retail Therapy 8 collection
Louis Smith
Duro £14 each or two for £24
Inspired by the brutality of concrete and the material’s ability to develop a patina with use, this occasion glass contrasts the durability of concrete with the fragility of glass to create a vessel which can be used for your hot morning espresso as well as your ice-cold evening limoncello. DURO is all about adding functionality and style to vintage drinking glasses and giving these out-of-style vessels a new lease of life. The concrete sleeve acts to insulate whatever liquid is in the cup and prevents your hand from experiencing uncomfortable temperatures. Try leaving yours in the freezer to get an ice cold cocktail glass. Available in Ruby Red, Smokey Grey and Clear.
Robbie Graham
MIZU Watercolour Palette -Handmade Ceramic Dimple Tray for use with watercolour palettes and Inks £20
Inspired by the Japanese aesthetic concept of emptiness, this watercolour and ink dimple tray provides the perfect balance between functionality, creativity, and potential. By combining a sculptural object with a necessary tool in painting, this palette is visually inspiring both in and out of use. Hand crafted from stoneware clay, and clear glazed, allowing for accurate representation of colours. Features a hand drawn fish embossment on its surface, reminding the user to stay playful and open in the creative process.
Packaged in a wooden box with a unique koi carp painting, and paper sleeve.
Design Blog : https://www.itsfinedesigntime.com
Joanna Gabrys
Folka £22
Folka is a celebration of Polish culture. Being based on Wycinanki (folk cut-out art) it integrates a mixture of vibrant colours in layering and symmetry to give a unique and beautiful base to experiment with light. This hand-crafted wooden candle holder combines stained and waxed wood with a luxurious engraved cork base for insulation. Whether it is used to give family meals a sense of togetherness or to produce elegant shadows in the cosy corners of your home, Folka is guaranteed to stand out day and night with its distinctive hexagonal shape supporting symmetry in colour as well as its joyful appreciation in Polish culture.
Grace Scullion
Orb candles, £35
Named after the spherical candles sitting on the jesmonite base, orb creates a more interesting and perhaps fun way to embrace the warmth of candlelight in your home. The subtle fragrance of orange blossom wafts from the candles. Shaping a peaceful, calming experience as they melt and the wax flows into the base, creating a pool of colour which marbles and melts together.
Barktek Muszkat
Kontrast Jewellery Box £33
Black and white. Static and dynamic. Organised and chaotic. This jewellery box is full of contrasts.
When closed, it can serve as a decoration, with it’s simple cylindrical shape and minimalist pattern based on black and white stripes. However, one rotation of the top disc transforms it into a spiral-shaped storage unit.
Each of the five shelves can fit jewellery or other small objects of everyday use, while the smooth and simple motion of the opening/closing mechanism allows to access them quickly and easily, bringing a dose of satisfaction into a daily routine
Andrew Dudman
Coille vase £36
Coille is a flower vase made from pine wood and pine pitch.
Pine pitch is a natural mixture that mostly consists of pine tree sap, mixed with a small amount of sawdust, charcoal and beeswax. The mixture is strong, very sticky and waterproof. The wooden pillars provide structure and a handleable surface. The pitch joins the wooden pillars and ensures the vase is waterproof.
Angus Mackeddie
Träd, £36
Merging the gap between box and stand. Simply translating to “tree”, this contemporary jewellery stand can easily fold away, carrying your precious jewellery wherever you go. When folded, the tree partitions the box into compartments, keeping your valuables separate. Made from eco-friendly Jesmonite and printed bioplastic, this case will look the part in any scenario you desire.
Kim Denton
La Rapida – cups £36
La Rapida is a coffee cup set that hopes to encourage you to take a breakthrough the enjoyment of coffee.
The set comprises of an espresso cup and a water cup, so you can cleanse your palette in-between each sip of espresso
The skewed shape of the cup came from a printing error that happened during development. It in fact makes the cups comfy to hold and gives visual interest.
Paul Robinson
Bobert £36
Bobert the bobbing Robert is a desktop companion that is made to hold headphones and various other hanging items. The shape was conceptualised with a reconstructed treble clef at mind. The product is built to last with the base made from layers of dense birch plywood treated with coats of oil and wax, and the rod from 3mm thick stainless steel. The rod was chosen to have just the right give so that when headphones are placed on top it acts as a spring and bobs up and down as if dancing to music.
Tom Nicholas
Tock (The Spherical Clock) £44
TOCK is a bespoke spherical clock crafted from sapele. Sapele is a beautiful hardwood native to southern Africa, giving TOCK a premium feel and appearance. TOCK will liven up any mantlepiece or coffee table, bringing a wee bit of charming contemporary design into the home.
Ewain Keir
Agg – kinetic sculpture £45
Ägg is a bespoke kinetic sculpture which gives a common item, an egg, a twist
On the surface Ägg is a contemporary egg shaped centre piece or desk sculpture, but on the inside with a simple turn its true nature comes to life. Turinng the handle releases the moving rings, creating a satisfying ripple effect. Some have described Ägg as peaceful, mesmerising and even hypnotic. How would you?
Jamie Sach
Bblob – banana holder £45
Bblob banana stand wil be the centre piece of your kitchen. Designed to hold up to 5 bananas. Bblob separates your bananas keeping them fresher for longer. In addition to this, since the bananas are not in your fruit bowl your other fruit will also stay fresh for longer. Made from recycled granite, fine walnut and a perfectly crafted amorphous blob made from plastic, come together to create this beautiful must have piece for any art lovers kitchen
Jess Smith
Ikeru Hana – ikebana vase £50
‘Ikeru Hana’ is a vase designed for the Japanese art of flower arrangement, Ikebana. The word ikebana originates from the words “ikeru” meaning ‘to have life’ and “hana” meaning ‘flower’ – giving life to flowers. The three elements of ikebana are line, mass and colour. Ikeru Hana encompasses this using copper pipe which has been treated to create a patina. It comes with two olive wood stands to be placed along the pipe where you choose, and is packaged within a birch ply wood box. A moveable Kenzan sits within the stand, ready for you to create your own floral art piece. There will be a slight variation in the product due to the hand- made nature of it.
Gregor Harley
Kiridashi – knife £56
The kiridashi is a Japanese style of knife used in many crafts. The single bevel allows the kiridashi to be run flush against a ruler for precise marking and cutting, while the fine point enables detailed carving. This beautifully made knife is intended to be a staple tool for anyone who has a passion for craft.2
Klara Weissbrot-Koziarska
Wave Distribution Tool – £60
Handmade hardwood-aluminium tool to help declump and distribute coffee grounds in an espresso basket for even coffee extraction
Anna Maria Grimes
“Klotski” puzzle game, £65
Klotski is a sliding block puzzle game originating from Poland in the early 20th century. The objective of the game is to move the red block through the exit of the board by sliding all blocks either horizontally or vertically in their axial directions placed. A common goal is to solve a puzzle in a minimum time frame or in a minimum amount of moves. 14 different puzzles are supplied with each board in this version of Klotski. The olive wood used to craft the game set is fully sustainable. Olive wood is only harvested from the trunk and branches of old olive trees that can no longer product fruit which, due to its long lifespan, is quite a rarity. This product was curated and hand made, from paper to palm, by Anna Maria Grimes.
Zahara Hanafi
hansha – ikebana vase £68
Hansha – noun, reflection
Ikebana takes pride in asymmetry, using a fresh approach combining balance and movement to create harmony. Each component in this piece ties it all back to nature, where the ceramic base mimics a stone and the mirror imitates a body of water which echoes the arrangement on top, hence the name. This piece blends into its environment seamlessly while adding a subtle appreciation for nature and the beauty of flower geometries that are usually ignored
Bailey Tuddenham
Evolution, £109
“You understand the nature of an object so much more when you understand how it came to be”.
‘Evolution – iPod Shuffle’ is the first in a conceptual series that explores the evolution of different product lines across their different generations. Hand crafted from a combination of cast jesmonite, steel and wood; ‘Evolution – iPod Shuffle’ explores how Apple developed the iPod Shuffle product line through iteration, redesign and adaptation to failure. Cast replicas of each generation of the iPod Shuffle are attached with magnets and can be easily removed from the plinth, allowing you to take a closer look at the form and appreciate the affect of changes in design between each generation. The product can be mounted onto a steel base, or hung on a wall with the supplied wall mount, allowing flexibility in user placement. An in-built NFC tag allows you to tap the product with your phone and receive information about each of the iPods. The Shuffle is an iconic device, and this product reimagines the way in which you see iPod Shuffle.