jinsop lee + justin kim: dreyfuss special

‘dreyfuss special’ leather

‘dreyfuss special’ is the first design from korean studio uncle oswald is my hero (jinsop lee + justin kim). the product takes its name from henry dreyfuss, fellow industrial designer, whose most enduring design is a series of phones which were used over the world for 50 years. however, these phones are made from bakelite, a material that is so strong, it never biodegrades, leaving them to pile up into mountains in the landfills.

lee and kim decided to refurbish the handset of these phones, but not necessarily as the handset as a new phone (which jinsop already tried in university). instead, they have transformed them into stereo speaker systems for MP3 players. thus, the younger generation gets to use  product that was once used by their parents and grandparents.

the shape of the handsets also make them ideal for speakers, so no modifications of form have been made.

image © designboom

‘our goal was to design a product that people would covet not because it was recycled, but rather because it was a decent looking product that worked well, and just happened to use a recycled component.’ – uncle oswald is my hero

‘dreyfuss special’ matte

‘dreyfuss special’ is currently on show at 100 percent design as part of london design week 2010.

‘dreyfuss special’ alu

color variations

the speaker’s charging adapters are made from phone parts

display at 100 percent design london image © designboom

leather variations