Virgil Abloh

Leave it to Virgil Abloh to take one of the most iconic sound systems of the 1960s, and turn it into one of the most-hyped speaker sets of 2021. Abloh, the founder of the cultish brand Off-White and creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear, was tapped by the German juggernaut Braun to revamp their ‘wandanlage’ hi-fi wall system as part of the brand’s 100th anniversary celebrations, transforming it into his own brand of “functional art”.

Original 1965 Wandanlage

First created by the industrial designer Dieter Rams in 1965 (the prototype still hangs in his home today), the mounted record player and speaker system was a feat of modern design at the time of its original launch. Abloh’s new version is finished in the bright shade of white, with subtle nods to Abloh’s aesthetic such as his use of chrome finishings. Abloh called the wandanlage a “lasting legacy of the enduring power of good design that is simple, useful, and built to last.”

Virgil Abloh x Braun Design Process

 

Added bonus? Abloh marked the release of the wandanlage by dropping a surprise collaborative track with Houstin sound-makers The Chopstars. Titled “Internationalism” and available on Soundcloud, the track charts the aural inspirations that inspired Abloh during his design process.

For more information on the Virgil Abloh x Braun Collab, visit the website here.

THIS ARTICLE WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE 6TH PRINT EDITION OF ICON INTERNATIONAL, AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE ONLINE HERE.