Pentax Announces Availability Of Designer Pouch

Hello John,
I don't really think you could call the gold plated and special Leicas or Pentaxes etc as designer cameras. I would say, they are items for rich (or not so rich) enthusiast.
Mainly bought for collecting and also maybe later on for reselling with a profit. They really are not new designs and they are still as useful as the original products.

The 180mm Olympic Sonnars where specially designed to for the bombastic Olympic opening in 1936 to please the "Great Dictator". (see Charlie Chaplin).
This lenses where handed out to a few specially selected journalists.

The actual designer items don't seem to require to be useful. Just expensive.

However that doesn't mean to that expensive Items are not useful.
On the contrary, a well made, useful item can by definition not be cheap.

Horst

So how would you define "designer" Horst?

Well, of course everything has been designed at one time.

However these days the common understanding seems to be, that designer means Designer Clothes, or anything with the label designer as a fashion only item. EG. items like the Pentax designer pouch

Not just clothes but anything which can be carried around or shown off. Often soon to disappear again. I hope I am able to express myself correctly .


I have designed many types of Electronic equipment. But none of it was called "designer". It was usefull industrial stuff.

Horst

Thanks, that's interesting. I don't disagree with you, but then again my glasses are "designer" frames and they are certainly functional. The Newson pouch may be a designer pouch, but there's no doubt it will work as a camera pouch.

So I can't agree so far as the pouch being non-functional.

I suspect we are in new territory here. The only thing that detracts from a leather camera pouch is perhaps the price?

I think the concept of "designer" is all about having a product either designed by a "well-known" designer, or "brand-endorsed" by that designer. It is then seemingly the task of the media/fashion industry to determine who that "designer" should be. It's difficult to know where the term crept in, since in the mid-70's, Vivienne Westwood (along with Malcolm McLaren - he of the Sex pistols notoriety) was "merely" a designer of punk fashion, which was basically old clothes and bondage chains! Nowadays, Westwood is deemed to be a "designer" brand. In conclusion, I think something only becomes "designer" when a product is "endorsed" by the latest Hollywood celebrity, or a member of our Royal Family. Up until a couple of years ago, Jenny Packham was a designer - now, since Princess Katie has worn her stuff, Jenny Packham is a "designer" (the quotation marks seem to give the term an elevated status). Marc Newson may have been a name I seen on passing by, but perhaps this pouch is the launchpad to him receiving the same elevated status...

Me??.. I'll stick to my 3 for £10 ASDA polo Shirts!!.. You can keep your £100 Ralph Lauren Polo shirts, thanks!!

I think the concept of 'designer' is merely a way of separating more money from people than the article really warrants by persuading the punter it has extra value due to a 'name' being attached.

To be quite honest, I had never heard of Marc Newson before the K01 came out and I'm not overly impressed by the bag! Mind you I quite like the look of the K01, different but without a viewfinder I wouldn't buy one. As for it's designer, I'm not really bothered who he/she is so I'm not interested in parting with more cash for their name on it!

Beauty is to the Eye of the beholder

Oso

Indeed. And I a firm believer that people have the right to spend their money however they wish.

Just an observation, the Designer Pouch: "..., and offers stylish protection for your K-01 camera."

Protection from what? Certainly not rain, or falls - perhaps it's form envious glances

Scuffing and scratching whilst being carried in pocket, briefcase or camera bag I would think.

I have a friend who keeps his compact camera in an old wooly sock.
It has a name on it - Addidas I think
Each to his own

regards
Bernard

I only buy items that are reassuringly expensive. Then I wake up

There is something ironic about this pouch. Although I like the design of the K-01 a large number of photographers detest it. Have Pentax brought out this pouch to enable them to cover up the design of a camera which is embarrassing to them? It's all a bit too reminiscent of puerile paper bag jokes. Alternatively if you, like me, admire the aesthetic of the camera, would you really want conceal it, and at such an exorbitant price?

Like many of you, I find the prefix 'designer' off-putting and pretentious. Everything we make is designed and I form my own aesthetic judgements without being swayed by labels or names or 'designer' claims.

From experience, the neoprene K-5 type of pouch is all that is necessary to protect a camera - all very functional and for less than £20.

In my experience the label "designer" is usually pretentiously applied to products that think they are better than they really are.

These kind of products are usually bought by people who have a lack of self esteem and want to replenish that with materialistic crassness, with the hope of being placed higher up the social ladder by observers.


The problem I see is the mismatch of consumer demographic when applying 'designer'

Let's face it 'designer' products may appeal to vacuous Only way is Essex wannabes where some hyped up name on a pair of sunglasses, handbag or shoes might send sales through the roof.

But surely the majority of Photographers are a bit more 'real' ?

Look at Marc Newson's stuff ....

http://www.marc-newson.com/ProjectCategorys.aspx?GroupSelected=0&Category=Products

It's an ocean of pretentious and vacuous designs IMO. Such clichéd and formulaic 'cool' it fails every time.

Even Tracey Emin can do better than this.

This is more like it. Now that is 'cool'