From cars to video games to tennis shoes, it looks like the design world has decided on its motto for 2018: make everything old new again. Functional tech meets classic lines. Ancient methods meet modern materials. Analog meets digital. Etc., etc.
But it’s not often that a product comes along that blends forgotten practices with modish mechanics in a way that actually feels useful and refreshing.
To that end: meet Documentary Design, and the Mapuguaquén. It’s a line of hand-thrown clay speakers crafted by potters in southern Chile and outfitted with a crisp Bluetooth speaker. Each stereo utilizes wooden caps, wool and leather blended together in a vase shape.
It’s a fantastic idea rendered masterfully, and not nearly as expensive as the above description sounds.
A pair of full-range speakers will run you $569. That’s right in line with Sonos products, but with a far better backstory. The Berlin-based Documentary Design is working to revitalize ancient pottery traditions in Nacimiento, Chile, a town that watched the industry fall apart just as sawmills came in and started cutting down trees. For each purchase of Mapuguaquén, Documentary Design plants a tree. Not to mention, 80% of the materials used to make the spears are biodegradable.
Find more information on ordering yours here; there’s a large variety of early-bird bundles offered on their Kickstarter page, and they’re poised to ship right around Christmastime.
This article appeared in an InsideHook newsletter. Sign up for free to get more on travel, wellness, style, drinking, and culture.