KAIKU

by Herbst  

Sustainable Children's Collection

Strategy / Design / Engineering / Branding / Packaging / Manufacturing / Sales / Distribution

OPPORTUNITY

Young parents enter a world filled with gear, gadgets and objects intended to help make parenting little ones more pleasant, simple and functional.  Too often these utilitarian tools fail to deliver on a core tenet of good design: timeless, well constructed things with a classic quality will live forever and be passed on for future generations to reuse and enjoy.  

INSIGHT 

We cherish good design and thoughtfully built objects in all facets of our lives, from furniture to vintage cars.  Can we build a brand of children's functional furniture that is timeless, heirloom quality and built around truly good design principles?

DESIGN & BRAND STRATEGY

From the moment our kids were born we gravitated towards the classic staple of American parenting mobility:  the little red wagon.  From farmers market to the park we loaded up and shipped out on 4-wheels.  But quickly we encountered the disappointment of flaking paint, rusting metal and an overall lack of quality and style that we cherished in our curated homes.  
Over the course of a few years we designed, engineered, prototyped, tested and eventually gave birth to KAIKU's first signature product, the Zen Wagon. Inspired by the mid-century innovations of Eames furniture and constructed of high-quality bent ply birchwood, the Zen Wagon quickly sparked a loyal following of parents around the world devoted to curating quality, hand crafted tools for raising their own children.  Accompanied by the Strollkart and Pushpull mini wagon the KAIKU Spin Collection won numerous good design awards and was featured in publications around the world celebrating design and innovation.  

AWARDS

Red Dot Design Award 2010
Good Design Award 2010
International Design Excellence Award (IDEA) 2010

IN THE PRESS

"No sacrificing style in this classically design hauler."   DWELL
"Simply gorgeous."   METROPLOLIS
"Time for your little ones to own some bent ply."  WALL PAPER