Created by Ben Cooper and Australian designer Andrew Simpson of The Balmain Boat Company, the O Six Hundred Kayak is truly unique in its make – and its confidence in the consumer: “If you’re strong enough to life it, you’re smart enough to build it.” As it’s name suggests, the Kayak is meant for those precious early morning moments spent exploring, and getting lost – “To challenge the day before it challenged us.” Just 30 pieces come together to create the same basic Inuit frame that’s been used since the Bronze Age. Cut using a CNC router, the seemingly delicate pieces of hoop pine plywood are deceptively strong and fit together with exact precision in combination with sturdy cedar spines. The use of a skeletal frame rather than a solid wood body makes the kayak weigh in at just 10 kgs. A translucent carbon fabric acts as a lightweight and incredibly aerodynamic skin on the “ready to assemble” frame so you can slide through the water with ease. But the designers remind you that despite a clever form, it’s not indestructible: “Treat the O Six Hundred with respect and it’ll love you forever. Drag it across broken bottles and oyster shells, you’ll get cold, wet feet.” Order your own here.

    string(13) "Lizzie Wright"
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Lizzie

​Lizzie Wright is an aspiring artist and designer with a passion for the written word. While she works on her BFA in Industrial Design at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), she spends her (rare) spare time riding around Providence on her trusty Cannondale and drinking lots of coffee. She is especially fascinated by the dichotomy between aesthetic form and function, which has an immense influence on her work. As a lover of the natural world, Lizzie plans to focus on Nature, Culture, and Sustainability Studies to pursue a more efficient future for design. Read more by visiting her website

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