Transformable pockets and supplementary backpack, as functional accessories for new urban nomad lifestyle. A collaborated project with BMW Italy Group, BMW motorrad, BMW subsidiary group designwork USA and Stone Island Company

The world around us is changing rapidly and among the keywords of the Internet, there are two concepts, which are not new, but they are taking a different meaning: personalizing and sharing. The digital economy, as well as making us more informed and aware, it allows us to buy products that are closer to our needs. The higher the technological level, more interesting is the possibility. Any computer scientist pre-fers to assemble his own PC with the best components, rather than buying a pre-assembled hardware. The same applies to all professional technologies, where each component has to be chosen as the overall quality is the daughter of the excellence of its parts. The world of fashion is moving in that direction. A very sophisticated total look does not work anymore. Customers, especially women, tend to mix products from different backgrounds to give to their look a different and recognizable personality. These customization options are just been extended by the Internet, which has also become a place to share our choices. On one hand, before buying, you can get first-hand information from the users, who have gone through the same experiences. The other can be recognizable in a community according to the originality of our choices. This “evolved” consumer becomes the curator of his own image, assembles pieces with different criteria when dressing in the morning, when putting in order the desk, when purchasing a car or a motorcycle. The refinement work continues over time, and this ongoing approach is being not so much of necessity, but as a pleasure to share with friends. The BMW brand is associated well with the notion of style and driving pleasure. Concepts that they have evolved over the course of the 100 years of its history, not only for the quality of products and outstanding performance, but also with the knowledge that products with high quality standards. Who drives a motorcycle or a BMW car, knows these values and want to be identified with her choice. The strength of the brand is one of the key factors successful, but at the same time a possible limitation to the consumer in 2020, being more and more aware that it can change a product and approach him with their wishes, to his style. This project starts from the consideration that owning a great brand, in recent years, it is a great value, but also a sort of psychological block that prevents the consumer to make their own choice of style. Some BMW products are going in this direction, opening the customer chance to put his hand to the product: the BMW R NINE T is an example. Which tools can be made available to the customer to customize without changing the spirit and the shape of a BMW product? To examine this question, BMW has initiated research project in collaboration with Stone Island, a unique clothing brand not only for the originality of the product, but also for the global propensity for stylistic and technological research of materials, performance and processes. An item of clothing, an accessory or bag can help you customize the BMW product; changing the hardware of a vehicle or its surface finishing is often an expensive operation and not reversible. The creation of a product that is of clothing or any another product is less expensive, lightweight, removable and reusable. This project is the result of my participation in BMW Creative Lab 2015-2016 in collaboration with Stone Island® sportwear company, which will address the theme of “transformation” of the product, according to needs and requirements of each of the “editors”, or individual consumers. The general idea is “nature and artifice” in the sense of “Gillo Dorfles”, that every transformation is the result of human action, and nature is the result of the way we do “Artifice.” It is important that each “curator” has a real and conscious relationship with their own things, whether it is clothing, transportation or any other object. Thanks for the strong futuristic theme of BMW Group Italy and BMW Group subsidiary DesignworksUSA, a deep research has been done on the urban mobility and lifestyle of motorcyclists, focusing on the urban riders with new nomadic lifestyles; and thanks to the StoneIsland® for helping with the process, a collection of transformable pockets and a supplementary backpack-as functional urban accessories- has been prototyped.