The BMW Group is celebrating its centenary. That’s pretty good going for any brand, but when you think how far cars have come in that time - and how much the brand has had to adapt and change - it’s all the more impressive. They aren't looking backwards though; it is all about the next 100 years.
To celebrate, MINI, part of the BMW Group and one of the most iconic car brands in the world, is looking to the next hundred years with its Future Shapers Project. Inspired by MINI’s visionary approach to and customisation today, three cultural pioneers who are shaping the future are exploring the future of personalisation within their individual fields of fashion, art, design and entertainment. MINI's own vision of the future will be unveiled as part of its exhibition at Camden Roundhouse beginning this week, 18-26th June. The exhibition will look at groundbreaking new technology that will affect how we live in 100 years.
Now, you guys know us, we’re big fans of both technology and design, so when MINI asked us to take a look at its Future Shapers project, we jumped to the task.
It's not just anything new and flashy that catches our attention though. Generally, design for us has to add something truly different, make us stop scrolling through Instagram and say 'wow'. That's why certain brands will often get a shoutout. The guys at Bellroy, for instance, are always innovating; looking for new ways to deliver a wallet that can hold more, while being made of less.
Nike is another brand who seem to be pushing the boundaries almost every week, bringing in new materials and processes that lighten, strengthen, and streamline running shoes.
Then there's Cubitts, a London-based eyewear brand that you might not think of when you think innovation, but one that's always looking to the future - believe us!
These guys burst on the scene with a simple, but effective offer. Fixed-price, mail order glasses, that are delivered to you in a bunch, with you selecting your perfect pair before sending the rest back. They then opened a shop. So far, so normal. Then they moved into bespoke frames using an incredibly detailed process that produced excellent results - as our friends at Umbrella found out.
Okay, now we're getting somewhere. Still though, I bet you're thinking it's not that innovative.
For their next phase, they are doing something really cool and very different. They're working to pioneer what they've called Cephalometrics. This is where you take sub-millimetre measurements of a person's head, in 3D, and design and produce a pair of glasses specifically bespoke for them.
This isn't bespoke as you currently know it - essentially, tweaks to an existing off-the-shelf frame - this is bespoke as it’s meant to be: completely unique.
By scanning someone’s head, down to a level way beyond what you’ll pick up with a ruler, this technology can learn every microscopic feature of a face and then produce glasses that fit that face perfectly. We’re talking about the way the glasses sit on the face, the size of the glasses, the thickness of the rims, and all the rest.
In this way, the technology can offer up glasses that are perfectly suited to the individual. No more traipsing from shop-to-shop, looking for styles that work and fit. Get scanned, chose the colours and style you like, sit back and wait while they craft you a bespoke set of eyewear.
And that's what really excites us. Something different, something unique, something that changes the game. Just like BMW and MINI, these brands aren’t sitting still; they’re thinking about the future, constantly innovating, and looking to deliver something of real worth, that makes a difference to the world.
The BMW Group Future Experience, showcasing MINI’s vision of the NEXT 100 years, takes place at the Roundhouse in London, from the 18th to the 26th of June. Visit MINInext100 for more information, or follow them at @MINIUK #NEXT100
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