MINI has a history of up and down lifestyle collections over the years. The high points have been fairly impressive. Collaborations with Yves Behar and Puma comes to mind as some of the more memorable releases. But rarely have MINI products themselves been all that memorable. Which is why this 2017 collection is particularly impressive. The design restraint that MINI evolving design language is beginning to show in its cars has shown up in the products. Look for those

Official Release: At the Paris Motor Show, MINI will give an exclusive preview of the MINI Lifestyle Collection 2016-2018 due to be unveiled in November. Featuring over 50 products, the new collection ranges from articles of clothing to bags, cases and ingenious items for everyday use. A special product range for children rounds off the collection, along with alternative ways to get around on two and four wheels for young and old MINI enthusiasts alike. The collection embodies MINI’s new identity, which was revealed as part of the brand’s refocus in June last year. With its clean and timeless stylistic idiom, distinctive design and high-quality materials, the collection conveys MINI’s design expertise and image of itself as a brand in ways that go beyond its cars. The MINI Lifestyle Collection 2016-2018 will be available at www.shop.mini.com and MINI dealers from November.

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Contrast-rich design concept.

Although the articles in the new MINI Lifestyle Collection focus on the essentials, they are also full of typically MINI surprises. Contrasts in form, colour and materials play a key role here. One feature of the collection is the interplay of colour accents – the familiar MINI “colour block”. The accent colours Aqua and Lemon team up with the underlying Black, White and Grey to create a compelling colour concept. The bags and luggage pieces in the collection perfectly embody this approach. From wallets (MINI Wallet Colour Block) and handy shoppers MINI Shopper Colour Block) to travel bags and hard-shell trolley cases (MINI Cabin Trolley), customers will find the perfect item for almost any occasion. The use of coated canvas ensures the collection’s bags and matching accessories are robust, water-repellent, stain-resistant – and highly versatile.

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Clever details.

In addition to their strong design, items in the new MINI Lifestyle Collection boast a high degree of functionality and many well thought-out details. The multiple compartments in the bags, for example, and the intelligently designed interior layout of the trolley cases engender tidiness and flexibility. A karabiner stitched into every MINI bag, including the MINI Duffle Bag Colour Block, MINI Overnight Bag Material Mix and MINI Weekender Material Mix, makes the search for keys a thing of the past. And the collection’s accessories also reveal clever details. Interchangeable wristbands that come with the MINI Watch bring variety, and the MINI Water Bottle Colour Block separates in the middle to facilitate filling and cleaning.

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Iconic MINI Signet.

In addition to travel bags and accessories, the new MINI Lifestyle Collection also includes a range of clothing. With T-shirts, sweatshirts and jackets, the collection offers a wide selection of items for men, ladies and children. The garments also make use of the vibrant colours and richly contrasting elements of the colour block, and in addition to the new MINI logo and MINI lettering, they feature the MINI signet. Introduced for the first time with the MINI Lifestyle Collection 2016-2018, the signet combines two sets of MINI wings – one a mirror image of the other – to create a hexagon shape. It serves as a wallpaper print to adorn items such as the MINI T-Shirt Signet. Similarly, the MINI signet can cover a whole product or outer surface, such as the reflective coating of the MINI Umbrella Foldable Signet or woven pattern of the MINI Blanket Signet. The blanket’s water-repellent base provides the perfect underlayer for picnics or a night at an open-air cinema.

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British flair.

The new Lifestyle Collection also sees the MINI brand championing its British origins. Take the MINI Teapot and matching MINI Cup Colour Block, which showcase British tea culture from their own particular perspective. And with the MINI Travel Flask and MINI Travel Mug, users can even enjoy a MINI tea ceremony on the move. Pouring and re-sealing could not be simpler thanks to the travel flask’s clever snap lock. And it goes without saying that both drinks containers fit any MINI cupholder.

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Responsible use of resources.

The new collection reflects the brand’s commitment to using resources responsibly. All the paper and wood in the products is FSC-certified, and the acetate in the handmade Italian MINI Sunglasses Aviator Colour Bock and MINI Sunglasses Panto Colour Block is biodegradable. MINI is now also working with the innovative material LEFA, a sustainable alternative to leather made from recycled leather. This material forms the basis of the collection’s “Material Mix” series and is used in the MINI Backpack and MINI Laptop Bag, among other items.

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Creative products for children.

The new MINI Lifestyle Collection also has something to offer the youngest MINI enthusiasts. The MINI Colouring Car Set, for example, includes a MINI that can be assembled out of FSC-certified paper and coloured in using high-quality “Stabilo Woody 3 in 1” colouring pencils. So youngsters will have everything they need to design and create a MINI of their own. The MINI Kids Craft Sets help children to build everything from a carwash to animals using empty domestic packaging. The sets not only encourage creativity in a fun way, they also promote the responsible use of resources.

The MINI Lifestyle Collection 2016-2018 will be available at www.shop.mini.com and MINI dealers from November.