grove + mapleXO: skateboard iPhone 4 case

'skateboard iPhone 4 case' by grove and mapleXO


a 50-piece limited edition series, the 'grove + mapleXO skateboard iPhone 4 cases' are created from old skateboard decks.

the line is a collaboration that artisan case creators grove undertook with lindsay jo holmes's mapleXO,
which repurposes skateboards for jewelry and accessories. the year-long project involved the slicing and sanding
of 300 skateboards into layered strips, which were then hand-selected for colour coordination and glued together
to form individual blocks from which the iPhone cases could be cut.

the cases themselves are packaged in bamboo boxes with the layered skateboard panels inset into their ends.



top view



the line is a limited edition series of 50 pieces

of the fifty iPhone cases, five remain unclaimed and are currently being auctioned off on eBay.



the cases are packaged in bamboo boxes inset with layers of skateboard wood



closer view of the case



stacked cases



each piece is composed of a block of wood that has been formed from sliced and glued skateboard decks



some of the 300 skateboards used in the creation of the series



left: a broken skateboard reveals layers of colour
right: a block of glued deck slices



left: strips of wood from the skateboards are handselected into combinations to form a block out of which the phone can be cut
right: cases in some of their final steps of production



a block, already cut, being drilled into form



pieces cut but unseparated



grove craftsmen assemble the cases