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International Design Awards - the best and brightest
Melbourne's Kingdom Sneakers picked up a silver medal for the 3184 model. Photo: Kingdom Sneakers -
Just 990 pairs of the 3184 have been produced by Kingdom Sneakers, retailing at $680. Photo: Kingdom Sneakers -
Sydney's CPlusC Architectural Workshop was awarded a medal for this residence in Castlecrag, which transformed a mid-20th century brick bungalow into a sustainable family home. Photo: CPlusC -
Opening and enlarging the rear of this Canada Bay residence also earned a gong for CPlusC. Photo: CPlusC -
CPlusC's Dulwich Hill residence, which added a bold open plan area to an existing period home. Photo: CPlusC -
McBride Charles Ryan won a Silver for their quirky Monument Park project in Melbourne's Docklands. Photo: McBride Charles Ryan -
The Volvo XC90 SUV was named Product Design of the Year. Photo: Volvo/Mark Bean -
The XC90 also picked up a gold medal for its interior. Photo: Mark Bean/Volvo -
Perhaps it was the (optional) Orrefors crystal gear lever that swung the judges. -
The big Volvo's Sensus entertainment interface was also awarded. -
The XC90's optional hybrid powertrain also attracted a gold medal. -
The Movado Edge won a gold medal for its innovative form. Photo: Movado -
The Movado Edge, pictured in chronograph form, oozes understated elegance. Photo: Movado -
The T2 bike helmet by Torch Apparel picked up a silver in the product category. -
The T2 projects 10 LEDs onto shatter-proof polycarbonate lenses, making the cyclist visible both front and back. Photo: Torch Apparel -
Singapore's National Stadium took out the Architectural Design of the Year. Photo: daysthatchangedsingapore.com -
Inside Singapore's National Stadium. Photo: singapore-guide.com -
The recently completed Palazzo Fendi, a combined boutique and hotel in Rome, won Interior Design of the Year. Photo: Fendi -
Inside the Palazzo Fendi boutique. Photo: Fendi -
Gabriele Colangelo was named fashion designer of the year. Photo: Victor Boyko/Getty Images -
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Melbourne's Kingdom Sneakers has picked up a coveted silver medal at the 9th annual International Design Awards (IDA) announced in New York.
The homegrown company founded by brothers Ross and Paul Meeuwsen were given the gong for their premium-luxe 3184 model, named after the bayside Melbourne suburb where the pair grew up, Elwood.
The exclusive sneakers are limited to just 990 pairs worldwide and hand sewn from ultra-fine grade leather. Packaged in a full-metal gold box, they feature a custom sole, innovative rare-earth magnetic strap, and individually numbered laser engraved D-rings. They retail for $680.
"We're pretty excited, it was quite a surprise, but pleasantly so," says Kingdom Sneakers co-founder Paul Meeuwsen. "The award is definitely a validation of what we've been working towards and recognition of our approach, which has always been zero compromise."
Meeuwsen says he still has a few pairs of the 3184 in stock, but 'once they're gone, they're gone'. "It's about to get real, now that this award has come along," he says.
Winning designs
Other major IDA winners include the 2016 Volvo XC90, which took out the prestigious Product Design of the Year Award. The world's first plug-in hybrid seven seater SUV is very elegant, but perhaps the Orrefors crystal gearshift may have been decisive in the judges' minds.
The Volvo also won a gold for its twin-engine powertrain, and another for its interior, plus a silver for its clever Sensus infotainment interface.
Singapore's innovative National Stadium, by Arup Associates, took out the Architectural Design of the Year. Featuring the largest free spanning dome in the world at 310 metres, and capable of seating 55,000 people, the stadium is also the world's first that has been custom-designed to host athletics, football, rugby and cricket.
Shop to it
Shopping boutiques don't come any more beautiful than Fendi's flagship store, Palazzo Fendi, in Rome, a worthy winner of Interior Design of the Year for Japanese studio Curiosity. Dripping in marble and with silver leaves on the ceiling, the design was inspired by the Italian Renaissance, says Curiosity's Gwenael Nicolas.
Australian entries were well represented at the IDA this year, particularly in the field of architecture, where Sydney-based CPlusC Architectural Workshop was awarded medals for projects in Castlecrag, Dulwich Hill and Canada Bay. McBride Charles Ryan won a Silver for their quirky Monument Park project in Melbourne's Docklands.
Notable mentions include the T2 Bike helmet by Torch Apparel, which picked up a silver in the product category. The helmet projects 10 LEDs onto shatter-proof polycarbonate lenses, diffusing the light and making the cyclist visible from 360 degrees.
The Movado Edge timepiece won a gold medal for its innovative form. Yves Behar, Qin Li, Erik Kreider, and Hardy Chambliss crafted the timepiece from aluminium to create a unique concave shape that is unlike any other watch on the market.