MINI USA anounces MINI_motion in collaboration with industrial designer Yves Behar. MINI_motion will launch to specialty stores in Fall 2003. Here's the press release:

Woodcliff Lake New Jersey, March 4th, 2003….MINI, the world's definitive small car brand, has commissioned industrial designer Yves Behar of fuseproject to create MINI_motion, a new signature collection of apparel and products deisgned to enhance the travel experience, whether driving, traveling on foot, the subway or in the air.

MINI recognizes that many urbanites love driving but switch between their car and another form of transport on almost every journey. And so, inspired by the concept of connected urban travel, MINI_motion makes the change from car to subway to the air that much easier by allowing the user to integrate seamlessly into any form of travel.

Highlights of the collection are:

  • An innovative, two-part shoe manufactured by PUMA. This premium street shoe converts into a high technology driving shoe when required.
  • A unique car pack that attaches securely to a car's passenger seat belt (thus avoiding spillages) and can also be used as a messenger bag, engineered by Samsonite.
  • The motion_watch which integrates a soft wrist band, strengthened by a steel spring core, keeping the watch securely on your wrist without a fastener.
  • An outerwear jacket with details such as map pockets, and an integrated bag that folds down as a seat extension. Useful on the road and on the street.

MINI_motion (represented by the Steven Alan Showroom) will comprise of a select number of limited edition products. The collection will be refreshed seasonally and includes apparel, shoes, bags and accessories.

Yves Behar has created MINI_motion by taking MINI's inherent design integrity and overlaying his own expertise in various disciplines ranging from fashion to sports to furniture to technology, creating items that allow the individual seamless mobility. The inaugural MINI_motion collection will debut in select specialty stores in the United States in Fall 2003.

Behar: “We spend more and more time driving and yet our lives inside and outside the car are disconnected. MINI is developing a product line that no other car brand has attempted by creating innovative solutions that fuse the inside and outside experiences. Inspired by people, life observation, design and attitude, the MINI_motion point of view is that the product collection should work just as well in-the-car as out,”

Pretty cool 🙂