BMW Launches A Yacht Called THE ICON. Have A Look At The Pics & Deets

This unusual cooperation between BMW and boat manufacturer TYDE, named THE ICON, has recently premiered, pioneering a new stage in sustainable luxury.

Pritish Bagdi

Electric range (WLTP) 488–560 in km Power consumption 23,3–20,8 kWh/100 km (combined)

A luxurious yacht outfitted with i3 batteries that, when completely charged, can go more than 50 nautical miles or 100 km. According to Peter Dengler, the project's director, this is conceivable in all sectors. "Mobility on water consumes nearly ten times as much energy as mobility on land." In the meantime, professional sailing has developed techniques for significantly reducing energy use, paving the door for climate-friendly solutions. Decarbonization of mobility is already happening in some locations. However, there has not yet been any innovation in other fields, thus decarbonization has not even begun. On the sea, there is currently no equivalent of luxury electric vehicles like the BMW i7 M70."

The Idea for THE ICON

Just as the tides are created by the interaction of the earth and the moon, the interplay of two factors was crucial in this shared vision: a focus on innovation and the joy of sustainable mobility.

Because, as Peter Dengler, head of THE ICON project, points out, this can be made possible in all segments. “Mobility on water is nearly ten times more energy-intensive than mobility on land. In the meantime, however, professional sailing has come up with solutions for substantially saving energy, paving the way for climate-friendly solutions. The decarbonization of mobility is already taking place in some areas. In other areas, however, there has not yet been innovation, so decarbonization has not even begun. There is currently no equivalent of luxury electric vehicles like the BMW i7 M70 offered on the water.” He saw an extraordinary fascination in that visionary triad of sustainability, luxury and conscious pleasure: “Our team was particularly driven by the idea of creating the magical combination of innovation, digitalization and the relationship between people and technology, but most importantly, an incomparable zero-emission experience for the water.” What does the new mobility on the water look like? “The same characteristics found in BMW luxury vehicles like the BMW i7 M70 will be key in this element too: maximum sustainability combined with design, innovation and a unique driving experience.”

TYDE and the technical milestones

TYDE, a new, progressive lifestyle tech company and provider of experiences for luxury mobility at sea, was also at the rudder of this intelligent transfer of technology and expertise in the development of THE ICON. Dr. Christoph Ballin, the longstanding CEO of electric mobility pioneer Torqeedo, was instrumental in making electric mobility on the water fit for everyday use. Tobias Hoffritz is already a long-standing partner of BMW for technology and innovation projects with his company Second Sphere. Developing the first maritime luxury electric vehicle has been an exciting journey for both: “THE ICON has a wealth of groundbreaking innovations on board that are suitable for anchoring climate-friendly mobility in the high-end segment as well. The yacht is available as a series product, and the technology platform developed means the model range can easily be expanded.”

Technical inspiration

The team broke free from the shackles of established development and design conventions right from the start. They deliberately set out not to design a boat, but rather create their own experience on the water. BMW has had trailblazing experience and long-standing involvement in sailing sports such as the premier class America’s Cup, the Formula 1 equivalent of boat racing.

A team of engineers built the first bridge between nautical technology and the most advanced electric mobility. Leading experts from all over the world were brought on board for this – including Guillaume Verdier, the world’s leading designer of the fastest and most efficient sailboats and responsible for the hull and hydrofoil of the last winning boat in the America’s Cup.

Foiling technology delivers up to 80-percent energy saving

Foiling, a technology that delivers up to 80-percent energy saving, is a pioneering technical development that supports the sustainability goals of the new watercraft. This means BMW i batteries can be used as a power source. How does that work? Foils consist of a stabilizing fin and two wings. They act like underwater wings that allow the watercraft to literally hover over the water – enabling THE ICON to be electrified by the power of BMW batteries alone.

The upper-side curvature creates a negative pressure, generating buoyancy. Water resistance on the hull is no longer a factor. The craft is lifted out of the water, reducing the resistance to a minimum – the watercraft literally hovers over the water. Two propellers on the rear foil provide propulsion for THE ICON. It takes between 10 and 12 seconds from startup to hovering. Flying about one meter above the water, feeling no wave impact at all feels exactly the same as comfortably gliding in the rear of the BMW i7.

Better interaction between people and technology

Dengler and Hoffritz found the interface was much more advanced in cars than on yachts. As a result, all maritime controls and navigation displays were bundled into a single control interface. “The intuitive, integrated user interface, based on the BMW ID8 operating system and a touch-sensitive display, delivers an automotive standard in boating,” explains Dengler. This ensures that operation is intuitive and integrative and can also be controlled interactively via voice commands.

"There was a lot of digital technology involved. We were able to use VR glasses to experience the space and see how the perspectives worked before the built model was ready."

Tommy Forsgren Lead Designer on the Munich-based Designworks team

#thecommunique #tcn #tc #BMW #TYDE #lifestyle #TheIcon #luxury #Yatch #technology #BMWi7 #VR

A new fashion display at the Design Museum in London honours the Sari

The first large-scale exhibition in the UK examining the contemporary Indian sari has opened at the Design Museum in London.

Swati Bhat

Image: Design Museum by Andy Stagg; The Offbeat Sari exhibition

'The Offbeat Sari,' on display until September 17, has more than 60 modern saris on loan from designers and studios across India, including the first-ever sari worn at the Met Gala in 2022 and saris constructed of woven steel and frayed denim.

The exhibition, curated by Priya Khanchandani, the Design Museum's head of curatorial, puts one of the world's most recognisable items of clothing front and centre, highlighting the craftsmanship behind the contemporary Indian fashion garment, as well as the "fashion revolution" the sari is currently experiencing.

"The sari is experiencing what is conceivably its most rapid reinvention in its 5,000-year history," says Khanchandani in a statement. "It elevates the sari movement to one of today's most important global fashion stories, despite the fact that little is known about its true nature outside of South Asia." Women in cities who traditionally linked the sari with dressing up are changing it into fresh, radical, daily attire that empowers them to express who they are, while designers play with its materiality with boundless ingenuity."

Conventionally a single piece of unstitched fabric, the sari has been adapted in drape and form over millennia, explains the exhibition, to reflect identity, social class, taste and function across time and geography, and remains an enduring part of life in India today. Yet in recent decades, for many, the sari has been considered traditional or uncomfortable as a form of everyday clothing, especially by young people.

The Offbeat Sari exhibition opens at the Design Museum

However, in the past decade, the sari has been “reenergised” and elevated as a fashion item, with many designers in India experimenting with hybrid forms such as sari gowns, pre-draped saris, and innovative materials such as steel, as well as using contemporary materials such as denim.

This revolution it adds is being driven by young people in cities, who previously associated the sari with dressing up but are now wearing the versatile garment with sneakers on their commutes to work.

Khanchandani added: “For me and for so many others, the sari is of personal and cultural significance, but it is also a rich, dynamic canvas for innovation, encapsulating the vitality and eclecticism of Indian culture.

“With last month’s news that it has become the world’s most populated country, India’s significance within contemporary culture is vast, and the sari foregrounds the country’s undeniable imagination and verve, while asserting the relevance of Indian design on a global stage.”

Design Museum displays more than 60 saris

The exhibition is divided into three main sections: transformation, identity and resistance and new materialities, highlighting over 60 saris from growing global brands to emerging studios, including Abraham & Thakore, Raw Mango, Akaaro and NorBlackNorWhite, as well as Amit Aggarwal, Huemn, Diksha Khanna, Bodice, Tarun Tahilian, Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, and Sabyasachi.

The transformation section highlights the work of the designers in India who have fuelled the experimentation of recent years, such as a sari adorned with sequins cut from disused X-ray images obtained from hospital waste and by Abraham & Thakore, a distressed denim sari by Diksha Khanna and a lacquered sari drape wrapped around a plinth in a form of conceptual play on the sari by contemporary artist Bharti Kher.

This leads into a section dedicated to how the sari is being crafted as an expression of identity and resistance, from empowering the female body to using the sari as an object of protest. Examples include the red silk sari worn by Tamil-Swiss singer-songwriter Priya Ragu, a block-print sari worn by self-proclaimed ‘Saree Man’ Himanshu Verma and the ‘Arch’ sari by Adavid styled with a shirt by Bangladeshi architect and advocate for body positivity Sobia Ameen. There are also saris worn by female demonstrators in rural India such as The Gulabi Gang and The Hargila Army as a tool for protest. There is even a section showing how young women are wearing saris to climb, play cricket, and skateboard.

The final section, new materialities, looks at the sari as a textile, showing the intricacy of sari craftsmanship from weaves, patterns, texture and colours to surface embellishment, alongside sustainable innovations and designers pushing the boundaries. This includes a golden sari by Rimzim Dadu constructed from hair-thin stainless steel wires to create a gold sculpted wave.

Other highlights from the exhibition include a copy of Tarun Tahiliani’s foil jersey sari worn by Lady Gaga, Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla’s ruffled sari worn by Bollywood star Deepika Padukone at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022, and the first-ever sari worn to the Met Gala designed by Sabyasachi, and styled with a gold Schiaparelli bodice worn by businesswoman and socialite Natasha Poornawalla.

Tim Marlow, chief executive and director at the Design Museum, added: “It’s in the Design Museum’s mission to examine the world as it is today across geographies. The Offbeat Sari highlights design’s role in a huge fashion story that’s little-known outside India, providing a site for us to reflect, with our partners and lenders in India, and the South Asian diaspora here, on the impact of India's fashion creativity.

“Indian textiles have long been explored ethnographically in international museums and we are excited to be presenting cutting-edge Indian fashion to UK audiences in London this summer.”

‘The Offbeat Sari’ at the Design Museum runs until 17 September.

#thecommunique #tcn #tc #Art #exibition #TDM #london #sari #indianfashion

A new Mediterranean high jewellery line from Bulgari is unveiled in Venice.

Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas were all sighted together at the Bulgari event in Venice to launch the new Mediterranean high jewellery collection.

Swati Bhat

The event was held in Venice's Palazzo Ducale, and featured the opulence of luxury watches that are a fusion of the gleaming beauty of Italian craftsmanship with the impeccable traditions of Swiss watchmaking. The exquisite richness of the aquatic domain has been masterfully captured and brought to life in this collection. This High Jewellery line pays respect to the beauty and soul of the Mediterranean in all of its manifestations. Being in the Mediterranean region awakens all of my senses and provides me with a truly amazing experience. I see beauty in everything: architecture, nature, and people. Is an energising melting pot in which many diverse cultures and communities have mingled and nourished one another over millennia. "Our hospitality and open-mindedness are rooted in our history," Lucia Silvestri Bulgari Jewelry Creative Director explained.

#thecommunique #tcn #tc #lifestyle #PriyankaChopraJonas #AnneHathaway #Zendaya #Venice #Bulgari