The New Frontier of Industrial
Design: Fashion meets Technology.
We speak with Roger C. Wood
veteran designer of ORION, a company specializing in fashion wearable
accessories.
by Desiree Ontiveros
It’s
Friday night, you and your group are on the move. So many parties to attend, so
many people to see. Your bestie had a late flight back from business trip in
San Francisco. This means your phone is likely resting on the table and you are
frequently looking at the screen making sure she isn’t missed so you can join
the festivities. As you engage with the
rest of the group and continue to have the best time ever, looking at your
phone becomes a distraction. The RUBY, ORION’s most buzzed about
product is a fashionable solution to instant communication of the social
set. RUBY is a crafted piece of luxury
jewelry, designed as a modern architectural butterfly brooch. Fixed to your lapels or pockets as a luxury
accessory, RUBY will notify you when our bestie has texted or called and at the
touch of a button, so you can tell her exactly where we are sitting. We speak to Roger C. Wood, veteran designer
in both the fashion and tech sector, and the design mind behind the product to
find out how RUBY is going to change the way we communicate forever.
DO:
RUBY seems like an advanced concept in both the technological and fashion
stratosphere. Tell us in layperson’s terms how RUBY works?
RCW: RUBY is a luxury communications accessory, which we
will fix to our lapels or pockets. Connected via an app to your phone, you will
create a “constellation” of 45 of your most important contacts. It works on
the Orion network. Imagine a beautiful version of Nextel or Virgin Mobile. It
is wearable tech, but actually mid-luxury finish, on par with David Yurman or
Alexis Bittar, two designers that I admire.
DO:
Your promise seems to be that for busy professionals, the RUBY makes staying in
touch more fashionable. What was your
inspiration behind the creation of this device?
RCW: The
inspiration behind RUBY has always been to keep people connected in a beautiful
way. All three co-founders of the company thought deeply about the concept for
years. There is now rule that says instant contact devices must be heavy,
awkward and unappealing.
DO:
How do you see RUBY being used on the Orion network?
RCW:
We are
connecting our products to a timeless human ritual. The first time you’re
collaborating on a great project, you never forget that feeling, and we want to
be a part of that. Whether it’s a small personal thing, like planning a surprise
birthday party with friends or something big and glamorous, like working the
press line at the Oscars. We want RUBY to be there with you.
DO:
Let’s talk more about the beauty part. We love the sleek architectural design
of the piece. Is there a specific piece of architecture that influenced the
design of the RUBY?
RCW:
It
began with a whimsical notion, a kind of dream. I imagined a kaleidoscope of
butterflies resting camouflaged on the side of a beautiful modernist building,
like the Broad Family Art Museum. Then, two talented young designers Arlen
Abraham and Sylvia Wu entered the design process. We traded sketches back and
forth, sometimes adding and erasing each others lines. We’d walk through downtown
San Francisco, looking for concepts, taking them apart, talking, sharing. A
general design direction emerged, and a brand narrative flowed from it. I draw
energy from the people around me. I draw more energy from Arlen and Sylvia than
any other designers.
DO:
The RUBY is such a fashion forward piece in the form of a brooch, which we
think is the epitome of vintage luxury. Is there a person who is your style
muse who directly influenced creating such a timeless accessory?
RCW: The spirit of
Diana Vreeland inspires me. she wore brooches, and I think we need a new
Vreeland to wear ours. Let me know which celebrities you have in mind!
DO:
Who do you see as your modern day muse for the RUBY concept?
RCW: Maggie Betts is my modern muse. She is chic, fresh and classic
all at once. She has the unstudied elegance of Amanda Burden,
the dignity of Carolina Herrera, and the sunny charisma of a pop star. Her
life, her style and her social sphere is the embodiment of the past, and
future, of America. She is the spirit of RUBY.
DO: You went from the
mobile phone industry to working in fashion. Tell me more about how those
experiences merged to form the idea of the RUBY.
RCW: Many designers in technology
project functionality, they’re trying to tell you how it works. That’s good.
But, fashion accessories designers are trying to convey emotion through
craftsmanship, concepts and heritage. The depth of emotion possible with a
product like this is limitless because it focuses on keeping people together.
We think the emotions you experience with groups are exhilarating, and RUBY is
a vehicle to get us to those great emotions.
DO:
What’s
next for ORION Accessories? Are there plans for a new roll out of an entire
collection? Earrings that double as
earpieces, rings, watches, anything else?
RCW: You will have to wait and see until next season! We
have an amazing team. When people collaborate as a group, they can do anything.
The
RUBY launches in AW15. Prices will range from $400 to several thousand
dollars. Please visit www.orionlabs.co
for updates on the launch and to pre-order and start you very own
constellation. Follow the RUBY story on social media @exploreruby #exploreruby
Desiree Ontiveros is a
veteran fashion curator, follow her on Instagram @thestylecontingent.