It may have been early days of 2015 but the Primer Group was out to get a good head start on the events and product launch fronts as the company celebrated its new Delsey Montmartre line at the East Wing of the Shangri-La Mall.
A renowned French luggage brand, Delsey was founded in 1946 when Mr. Delahaye joined forces with the Seynhaeve brothers, producing a line noted for constant innovation, practicality and unique design. The first wheels on rigid luggage, antibacterial material, Zip Securi Tech — these are just some of the innovations that have come through the years. And just last year, a collaboration with Philippe Starck was forged, resulting in a very unique, modern, yet utilitarian line, christened Starcktrip (which I hear will soon be available in Manila).
While the Montmartre line makes use of ballistic material with Teflon coating, the added feature that makes the line truly unique is the patented integral overweight indicator — this becomes operational when the total weight of the luggage and its contents exceed 23 kilos. There are also lightweight polycarbonate lines of luggage that highlight the new Delsey logo and modern design.
In more ways than one, Delsey continues to champion innovation; and French Ambassador Gilles Garachon, was on hand to join Primer and Delsey in making the evening a very special one. Special because with innovation as the byword for the brand, Primer had turned to Boy Abunda to moderate a mini-forum honoring three Filipino individuals who represent Filipino innovation that has been recognized globally. The innovative genius of these Filipinos — film director Brillante Mendoza, industrial designer Kenneth Cobonpue and investigative journalist Maria Ressa — was placed in the proverbial spotlight during the evening. And it was unfortunate that due to a pressing matter, Brillante, a Best Director winner at the Cannes Film Festival, had to leave early.
So, the show went on with Maria Ressa and Kenneth Cobonpue being “grilled” by Boy Abunda. Enlightening and provocative, the mini-forum may have been a tad more serious than product launches usually are, but it was entertaining and educational in equal measures. In the case of Maria, she expounded on her start in journalism, after studying Molecular Biology and Theater at Princeton! This was accomplished via a Fulbright scholarship to complete a Masters in Journalism at UP Diliman. The Probe Team of Cheche Lazaro, a fabled stint with CNN, the head of ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs, and now CEO of Rappler, Maria has always been at the cutting edge where journalism and content meet technology and innovation.
As for Kenneth, it was amusing as he spoke about his own start. With very traditional Cebuano-Chinese parents, he was pushed to take a business course at the University of the Philippines. Realizing this wasn’t for him, he attempted to shift to the Fine Arts program, which offered Industrial Design. He failed the entrance exams! It was dogged determination that brought him finally to Industrial Design at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. To be asked recently to be a commencement speaker at UP was richly ironic for Kenneth; and he smiled recounting that anecdote. And of course, it doesn’t have to be retold just how accomplished and recognized Kenneth and his iconic designs are in his chosen field.
Watching the rapt and smiling faces of the audience, and how often they would nod or take notes, it was obvious to me that Primer and Delsey had succeeded in giving us a launch with a difference. One that had as much to say in terms of substance, as in style. Truly, innovation in myriad forms was present that evening.
Through space (digital & otherwise) & time
The three novels today all map out stories that suspend space and time within their covers. In the case of Grossman’s, we’re brought back to the dawn of video gaming. McCann checks in with multiple flights across the Atlantic; while Hosseini starts his journey in Afghanistan, and spreads his wings all over the globe.
You by Austin Grossman (available at National Book Store) In the same manner that Ready Player One was part nostalgia, part adventure fantasy within the world of video games, You recalls the arcades and that point in our recent history when games went online. It’s historical fiction with the life of a video game designer central to the plot. We’re thrust into this geeky world, where our protagonist Russell joins Black Arts, a noted design studio that is marred by the unexplained death of one of its founders, Simon. Co-founder Darren is the marketing whiz, Black Arts’ public face; and he suddenly leaves. Sci-fi or fantasy — that’s the perennial issue between designers, as they create the next new game. It’s a fascinating look into this esoteric world.
TransAtlantic by Colum McCann (available at National Book Store) At the core of this novel are three separate transatlantic crossings, between Ireland and the “New World.” We start off with the 1919 first air mail delivery of Alcock and Brown, from Newfoundland to Ireland. Then there’s the visit of emancipated black American Frederick Douglass to Dublin in 1846. And there’s the 1998 visits of an American senator to head the peace talks. Over time and space, we encounter people on the periphery, as well as the main players of these crossings. And through this plot conceit we understand the era, the times and culture that gave birth to what now passes as recorded history. Ambitious in scope, yet sure-footed; this is McCann at his very best.
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini (available at National Book Store) Abdullah and Pari are brother and sister, mired in poverty in 1952 Afghanistan when this novel commences. When Pari is “sold” to an affluent childless couple, our grand story of family, identity and culture also kick starts. The subjects of tragedy, marriage, tested compassion and all the stuff that make us human are what this novel tackles with great skill and aplomb. Different strands, interconnections constantly crop up, and illuminate our understanding of recent Afghan history and the people. In typical Hosseini fashion, it’s the immediacy and the vivid characters that keep us turning the pages; restless to know the fates of the people we learn to care about. This is the Hosseini magic at work.