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Rimowa.

Berlin’s Kulturforum shed its traditional atmosphere earlier last week, transforming into a creative crucible for the fourth annual Rimowa Design Prize ceremony. Valued as an essential launchpad for the next generation of German design talent, the annual student competition operates in close partnership with leading German design schools to challenge young minds to dismantle and rebuild the parameters of mobility. Presenter Valerie Präkelt welcomed an audience packed with cultural figures – including Paula Hartmann, Noah Becker and Sven Marquardt – to watch Samuel Nagel and Paul Feiler from the Hochschule für Gestaltung Schwäbisch Gmünd scoop the first-prize trophy and a €20,000 grant.

Hearing your name called out in that room, especially when you are still trying to process the initial benchmarking trip to the Rimowa headquarters in Cologne, brings a beautifully chaotic feeling. Speaking to Schön!, Samuel Nagel and Paul Feiler admit they’re still feeling “super happy and completely overwhelmed,” thinking back to the moment the jury delivered their verdict. “In the moment, we didn’t really realise what had just happened; it’s only now, a few days later, that it’s slowly starting to sink in.” 

The duo completely hijacked the core brief, presenting a mobility-driven project that isn’t the expected aluminium luggage. Nagel and Feiler looked directly at the invisible social friction of communication. “Mobility isn’t just about moving from A to B; it’s also closely tied to communication,” they explain. “A lot of the freedom to act spontaneously, to make your own decisions, or to feel at ease in everyday situations comes from being able to communicate directly with the people around you.”

Rimowa.

Rimowa.

The physical manifestation of that thought process is ‘NURA,’ an elegant, wearable wristband that translates sign language into spoken audio while instantly transcribing spoken words back into a visible dot interface for deaf users. Modelled with an organic, ergonomic silhouette inspired by the fluid geometry of a manta ray, the device aims to completely untether assistive technology from the cold, clinical stigma of typical medical hardware. “The goal with the design was to create something that feels elegant and empowering, something that doesn’t stigmatise or remind you of a medical device,” the pair say. 

Interestingly, fitting the complex internal data streams inside the streamlined shell was not the primary roadblock. “The hardware side helped with that more than we expected. Most components don’t actually take up that much space,” they explain. Instead, the heavy lifting went into structural sustainability. “Actually, the bigger challenge was really around repairability, designing it in a way where individual parts can be replaced if something gets damaged, so the wearable has a longer life.”

Rimowa.

The architecture of the device runs on electromyography (EMG) sensors embedded in the inner band to track forearm muscle activity alongside an integrated micro-camera that decodes facial expressions in real time. “EMG is incredibly fast, with reaction times in the millisecond range, and it reliably picks up muscle movement,” they say. Rather than forcing a pre-programmed universal dictionary onto users, NURA learns on the move, easily navigating and adapting to diverse regional dialects. “A key idea for us is that the wristband can be trained by the user themselves. On top of that, a connected network could gather data across users, so the system keeps improving collectively while still staying personal to each individual,” the duo explains. 

Surviving the editing process meant enduring some serious creative friction under the mentorship of Tim Richter, the industrial design boss at Siemens Healthineers. “One thing that really stuck with us was how much Tim [Richter] pushed us to challenge our own ideas,” they say. “He kept reminding us that the first idea is almost never the final one and that it’s worth questioning your concept again and again instead of settling too early.”

Rimowa.

The rest of the class of 2026 pushed the conceptual boundaries just as hard. Niklas Henning picked up a special mention and €10,000 for the ‘Paludi Harvester,’ a coordinated agricultural machinery system engineered to restore delicate peatland ecosystems under freezing conditions. Valerio Sampognaro introduced ‘Aerodomestics,’ a line of ultra-light furniture built from aluminium tubes and recycled kite sails, while Tobias Kremer and Yannick Stilgenbauer engineered ‘A.R.C.,’ an inflatable, electricity-free cooling capsule designed to protect medicines during natural disasters. Safety drove Tim Kipper and John Roller’s ‘Compassion Aid,’ a tactical de-escalation system built for emergency paramedics. Nicolas Nielsen presented ‘HYVE,’ an autonomous, hydrogen-powered mobile beehive designed to assist cross-pollination, and Jakob Schlenker debuted ‘PIP,’ a bird-shaped, AI-integrated pocket companion combating loneliness among senior citizens.

The prize money will help fund upcoming Master’s degrees and international placements for the winners. As for launching NURA into mass production, the duo are remaining transparent. “To be honest, there isn’t an experienced answer we can give on this, considering we are still students and not yet experienced in actually mass-producing technical devices like this.” For now, they are sticking together to finish their Bachelor’s thesis before Feiler heads to Sweden for his postgraduate studies. “Every time there’s a new project, we somehow end up working together again,” they say. “When you’re collaborating with friends, or just with someone you really click with, the work gets better and the whole process is a lot more fun.”

Discover more about the Rimowa Design Prize here.

photography. courtesy of Rimowa
words. Gennaro Costanzo

Cupra.

Cupra has officially ignited its next era of electric performance, orchestrating a coordinated, multi-city world premiere to launch the highly anticipated ‘Cupra Raval.’ The Spanish brand took directly to the streets to reveal its first 100% electric urban vehicle, carrying out a synchronised cultural takeover across twelve major European cities, anchored by a massive institutional event and public concert in the heart of Barcelona.

The launch event serves as a literal homecoming for the brand, whose headquarters and production line at Martorell have been designated as the epicentre for the Volkswagen Group’s future urban electric vehicle push. To mark the vehicle’s debut, Cupra transformed its iconic central venue into the ‘Casa Cupra Raval,’ celebrating the vibrant, non-conformist spirit of the Barcelona neighbourhood that gave the car its name. The street-level reveal in late April culminated in a public concert at Plaça Catalunya headlined by Nathy Peluso, while simultaneous musical events fired up across Europe – featuring Disiz in Paris, Kim Petras in Berlin, Chase & Status and Lancey Foux in Manchester, and Mahmood in Milan. Now, the brand is maintaining that momentum in Spain, displaying the physical production models to the public for the first time as part of an immersive local showcase.

Cupra.

The vehicle itself acts as a radical interpretation of compact mobility, compressing signature performance dynamics into a manoeuvrable four-metre footprint. Built upon the advanced MEB+ platform, the Raval mimics the aggressive, low-slung stance of a performance hatchback while delivering the interior spaciousness and 441-litre boot capacity typically reserved for higher vehicle segments. The exterior design is dominated by a sharp “shark nose” front end, flush illuminated door handles that deploy automatically upon approach and highly detailed Matrix LED headlights that instinctively adjust to changing road conditions.

Personalisation takes a futuristic turn with the bodywork options, marking the first time a Cupra model has ever been made available with an iridescent Plasma paint finish. This innovative coating shifts dramatically through shades of cyan, blue, indigo and rose red depending entirely on how the daylight interacts with the sculpted body lines. This colour-shifting skin sits alongside exclusive matte paints like Manganese and Century Bronze, which can be paired with a contrasting bi-colour roof in Manhattan Grey or Midnight Black.

Cupra.

At the apex of the launch lineup is the performance-driven VZ Extreme edition, which channels the brand’s racing essence through a front-wheel-drive powertrain delivering 166kW (226PS) and a 0-100km/h sprint time of 6.8 seconds. The VZ trim sits on a sport chassis lowered by 15mm, using an electronic slip differential (e-LSD) to manage torque distribution through tight corners and progressive steering for direct front-axle engagement. Drivers can freely customise the ride quality through Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) with 15 selectable levels of damper stiffness.

Inside, the driver-centric cabin relies on an immersive Smart Light Next Generation setup that functions as an intuitive communication layer, casting dynamic animations onto the door panels during performance moments like the E-Launch function. The cockpit is anchored by a 12.9-inch infotainment unit powered by a native Android OS, complemented by a 12-speaker Sennheiser Sound System using psychoacoustic technologies to deliver a rich, enveloping soundscape. 

Sustainability takes precedence via the top-tier ‘AHEAD’ pack, which introduces bucket seats crafted on demand using an innovative 3D-knitting technique from 100% recycled materials to eliminate factory textile waste.

Cupra.

The electric architecture supports a net energy capacity of 52 kWh for the NMC battery variants, delivering a maximum range of up to 446km. Out on the highway, DC fast-charging capacity of up to 105kW allows the battery to replenish from 10% to 80% in just 24 minutes, supported by an integrated e-Route Planner and automated Plug & Charge functionality to streamline public infrastructure navigation.

Series production is scheduled to begin immediately at the Martorell plant, with the first wave of market deliveries hitting European roads this summer. Discover more here.

photography. courtesy of Cupra
words. Gennaro Costanzo

Marshall.

Sixty years have passed since a young American guitarist wandered into Jim Marshall’s Hanwell drum shop, carrying a Fender Stratocaster and an appetite for volume. Mitch Mitchell, the drummer who later joined the Jimi Hendrix Experience, spent his Saturday evenings working behind that same counter, eventually introducing the two men who would define the sound of rock. Marshall is commemorating their seismic encounter with the ‘Hendrix 60th Anniversary Collection,’ a series of limited releases where cosmic aesthetics meet high-voltage engineering.

In a heartfelt letter to Marshall’s fans, Janie Hendrix, President and CEO of Experience Hendrix, notes that the pairing went far beyond a standard hardware arrangement. “The Marshall x Hendrix collaboration was the cultivation of new techniques and extreme ideas for their time that elevated the entire medium of sound,” she writes. “They brought something new that changed the way music was heard. That’s where the legacy began.” She recalls discussing the cosmic nature of the alliance with Jim Marshall himself, marvelling at how the stars aligned given that they shared the names James and Marshall – Jim’s surname being Jimi’s legal middle name.

The design leans directly into Hendrix’s obsession with velvet, silver trinkets and stargazing science fiction. Emma Rydahl, Senior Industrial Designer at the Marshall Group, admits the team spent months spinning psychedelic tracks on repeat while testing fabrics to ensure the visual rhythm hit the right note. “From his fashion to his lyrics to – of course – his music, there are countless stories we could tell about Hendrix. A lot of time has flowed into the fine-tuning of the final design, so that in the end everything is coherent across the entire collection,” she explains.

Marshall.

Marshall.

The result is a total overhaul of the Acton III Bluetooth speaker, wrapped in plush, tactile velvet and finished with a silver control panel, purple knobs and matching LEDs that feel delightfully unstuck in time. Even the power-up noise has been customised, greeting listeners with rare instrumental snippets from his 1968 track ‘Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland).’

For the purists who prefer their nostalgia at a volume that threatens the structural integrity of their windows, the jewel of the drop is the 1959 JMH Half Stack. Hand-wired in Bletchley, Buckinghamshire, the monolithic setup features a cosmic oil-on-water swirl of black and purple across the front grille, punctuated by silver hardware inspired by Hendrix’s personal jewellery. It comes bundled with a matching Dunlop Fuzz Face® distortion pedal to faithfully recreate that raw, biting snarl that rattled Woodstock. 

Terry Marshall, co-founder of the company, claims that the pairing was entirely elemental: “Jimi was an extraordinary musician, a true force of nature. He played Marshall, so we wanted Marshall. We undoubtedly grew alongside his fame.”

Bringing this legacy into the contemporary space, the campaign imagery features Austin-based independent artist Zach Person. Person, whose raw approach to the blues-rock genre frequently draws comparisons to the late guitarist, represents the modern continuation of that same sonic disruption.

With hints of further collaborative drops scheduled for later in the year, Marshall is making it clear that while Hendrix might have left the stage decades ago, the frequency he discovered remains completely dialled in.

Marshall.

The Hendrix 60th Anniversary Collection is now available online, with the Acton III bundle including two themed T-shirts. Pre-orders for the hand-built Half Stack are also open, followed by a wider release at selected retailers starting 14 May. Discover more here.

photography. courtesy of Marshall
words. Gennaro Costanzo