The Design Deed of the Year award for 2014 went to Droplet Hitech Design Oy, which makes wooden cases and covers for mobile devices under the name Lastu. The Association for Finnish Work presented the award to the Finnish company today, in connection with the Habitare fair.
“Droplet Hitech Design has been successful in creating a distinctive product for a highly competitive market. Lastu cases and covers, made from Finnish wood, are a fine example of design competence of the highest quality and the inventive use of a renewable raw material. They meet all of the criteria for the Design Deed of the Year award, which include ingenuity, responsibility and design as part of everyday life,” says awards panel member and industrial counsellor Kari Kallonen.
Successful global takeoff
The panel’s reasoning also mentioned the company’s determined entry into global markets.
“Gaining a foothold in the international markets has been one of our goals from the very beginning, and some months ago the share of our exports surpassed the share of our domestic sales,” says Sakari Arffman, managing director of Droplet Hitech Design, adding that:
“Finnish design is held in high regard around the world. The fact that our products are manufactured in Finland makes them even more interesting in the eyes of consumers. We are offering an alternative to a market overrun by mass production. This alternative combines sustainability, unique materials and the first-rate woodworking skills we have here in Finland. The end result provides customers with something more than a mere product – a background story and an emotion.”
The Design Deed of the Year was awarded for the third time. In 2012, the award was given to Beibamboo, a company that designs and manufactures baby clothes made from soft bamboo fibre. A year later, the award found its mark with VM-Carpet, the manufacturer of innovative high-quality carpets.
In addition to Kari Kallonen, the award panel is composed of Anna-Kaisa Auvinen, the CEO of Finatex (the Federation of Finnish Textile and Clothing Industries) and Tero Lausala, CEO of the Association for Finnish Work.
Droplet Hitech Design Oy
- A company that manufactures cases and covers for mobile devices; established in 2011.
- Based in Oulu, where the products are designed and handcrafted.
- Materials consist of Finnish wood, and partly of fish and reindeer skin.
- Employs five people.
- Donates a part of the proceeds of every sold Lastu product to a Zambian reforestation project.
Further information:
Rilla Engblom, Brand Manager, Association for Finnish Work, tel: +358 50 385 5476, rilla.engblom@avainlippu.fi
Granted by the Association for Finnish Work, the Design from Finland label communicates the origin of distinctive Finnish design. The label is a sign of pioneering companies’ investment in Finnish design as part of their business and success. www.suomalainentyo.fi/design-from-finland/