Designer Ken Okuyama teams up with BASF to create stylish cooler for Cinzano sparkling wine

Designer Ken Okuyama teams up with BASF to create stylish cooler for Cinzano sparkling wine

BASF’s high-performance polyamide Ultramid® brings distinctive modern design of wine cooler to life

Application of Ultramid® presents new design possibilities for consumer segment

Cooler will showcase “Cinzano Spumante” in shops and restaurants from July onward

Renowned designer Ken Okuyama has teamed up with BASF to create a chic, sophisticated wine cooler made with BASF’s high-performance polyamide Ultramid®. Starting from July, the cooler, designed in matte black, will showcase “Cinzano Spumante” at Suntory Wine International Limited’s selected restaurants and shops in Japan. 

To bring the left-right asymmetrical design of the wine cooler to life, and enable Cinzano to engage its customers with the brand on a visual and tactile level, the high-performance polyamide Ultramid® was selected by BASF’s design consultation center designfabrik® Tokyo and Ken Okuyama.

“Deciding on the right material is critical to making the design feasible for production as well as conveying the right look, feel and perceived value of the end product. Our partnership with Ken Okuyama and a liquor company  is an excellent example of how collaboration from an early stage of product development and use of our extensive service platforms such as designfabrik® help our customers from different industries realize their innovative ideas,” said Toshifumi Tanakai, Vice Director, designfabrik® Tokyo, BASF Japan. 

Ultramid® is a high-performance polyamide that is typically used in automotive components due to its high mechanical strength, scratch resistance, surface quality and thermal stability.

“This project is unique in combining the individual expertise of a liquor company, a chemical company and an industrial designer.　Shaping characteristics and surface finishing of the material which is mostly applied to structural parts of cars, reveals new possibilities,” said Ken Okuyama, who is known for numerous industrial design products and consultancy, particularly in the area of automotive and consumer goods such as furniture and eyewear.

BASF designfabrik® Tokyo was established in the Yokohama Innovation Center of BASF Japan in October 2014. designfabrik® Tokyo offers support in every phase of the design process, with expert advice for color, material and finishing, and assists designers in selecting materials as well as optimizing configuration of the products.

About KEN OKUYAMA

Industrial Designer / KEN OKUYAMA DESIGN, CEO. Born in Yamagata, Japan, 1959. Ken has worked as a Chief Designer for General Motors, a Senior Designer for Porsche AG, and a Design Director for Pininfarina S.p.A., being responsible for Ferrari Enzo, Maserati Quattroporte and many cars.

He is also known for numerous products such as motorcycles, furniture, robots and architecture. In 2007, KEN OKUYAMA DESIGN was founded providing business consultancy to many corporations. Ken also produces cars, eyewear, interior products under his original brand. He is currently a director of Yanmar Holdings Co., Ltd. and a visiting professor at several universities. Ken Is also a published author of many books.

About BASF

At BASF, we create chemistry – and have been doing so for 150 years. Our portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. As the world’s leading chemical company, we combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of over €74 billion in 2014 and around 113,000 employees as of the end of the year. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.