打造成人玩具的女人
????大多數人都不愿意將自己的職業與曾經的成人用品商店經歷聯系起來。但設計師張迪(Ti Chang,音譯)認為,成人玩具不應被視為禁忌。 ????現年33歲的張迪擁有美國佐治亞理工學院(Georgia Institute of Technology)的工業設計學位以及倫敦皇家藝術學院(Royal College of Art)的設計碩士學位。研究生畢業后,她開始為大公司設計產品,但沒有成就感。2008年全球經濟大幅震蕩,她聽從自己內心的召喚,矢志將高端設計帶入成人用品行業。張迪創立了一家名為Incoqnito的公司。有一次她在貿易展覽會上拓展客戶時,遇到了創業家邁克?托波拉維克。兩人在產品設計理念上一拍即合,于是在2011年正式成立了Crave公司。 ????Crave的第一款產品Duet半是USB、半是震動器,也是有史以來第一款眾籌的成人玩具。去年9月份,超過900位捐款者出資10萬多美元、幫助Crave來生產Duet,籌資總額是創始人最初目標的694%。這時,張迪意識到自己找準了路子。 ????日前,張迪接受了《財富》雜志(Fortune )訪問,討論如何給一個總是遮遮掩掩的行業帶來高質量的設計。下面是經過編輯的采訪實錄。 ????《財富》雜志:你是什么時候意識到可以將自己的設計背景帶入成人玩具這樣的行業? ????張迪:我記得在波士頓時,有一次走進了一家成人用品商店。我看看四周說,“有沒有搞錯?”就在那一刻,我發現雖然我們擁有設計完美的iPhone和筆記本電腦,但成人玩具行業由于世俗成見,吸引不到很多人才。 ????因此,我創立了一家名為Incoqnito的公司——我希望擴展成人玩具概念,不再限于傳統的震動器。我創造了前戲首飾理念,既可以在臥室之外佩戴,又具有非常隱蔽的性用品功能。 ????你是怎么產生這個想法的? ????有一次,我在紐約看到這位女士戴著一個震動器,就好像戴著一根項鏈。 ????什么? ????沒錯。不是一只兔子或其他什么外形相近的堅果,它是非常光滑的不銹鋼,可能有四英寸長,粗細比10美分硬幣小一點。 ????我當時就想,“對啊,為什么不能?”她是一位優雅的女性。她舉止端莊,我非常敬佩這樣的坦然。我想,如果有一天我們的文化能這樣坦然面對女性的性問題,該有多好。 ????專為女性設計有哪些常見的誤區? ????把什么都弄成粉色的。這是一個很大的誤區。另外,有很多女性喜歡粉色,但問題是要了解受眾,知道選擇什么樣的粉色以及她們還喜歡其他什么顏色,給女性真正的選擇。這些產品的設計就是為了適合個人不同的風格。 |
??????It's safe to say, most people don't want their careers linked to whatever experiences they may have had in a sex shop. But designer Ti Chang doesn't see why sex toys should be considered so taboo. ??? Chang, 33, received an industrial design degree from Georgia Institute of Technology and a graduate degree in design from the Royal College of Art in London. After finishing grad school, she began to design products for big companies, but didn't feel fulfilled. In 2008, when the world economy turned upside down, she pursued an idea she'd had in the back of her head: bringing high-end design to sex shop products. Chang started a company called Incoqnito, and was networking at a trade show when she met entrepreneur Michael Topolovac. They realized their ideas about product design lined up. In 2011, the pair officially launched Crave. ????Their first product, a half-USB, half-vibrator called the Duet, is the first crowdfunded sex toy ever. Last September, Chang realized she was on to something when over 900 donors gave Crave more than $100,000 to build the Duet -- it was 694% of the founders' original goal. ????Ti Chang spoke with Fortune about how to bring quality design to a stigmatized industry. An edited transcript is below. ????Fortune: When did you realize that you could bring your design background to something like sex toys? ????Ti Chang: I remember going into a sex shop in Boston. I looked around and said, "You've got to be joking." That's when it dawned on me that, while we have beautifully designed iPhones and laptops, the sex toy space is so heavily stigmatized that it doesn't draw a lot of talent. ????So I started a company called Incoqnito -- I wanted to expand the definition of what sex toys were beyond traditional vibrators. I created this concept of foreplay jewelry that you can wear outside of the bedroom and also has a sexual function, but it's very discreet. ????How did you come up with that idea? ????I was people watching in New York, and I saw this woman wearing a vibrator like a necklace. ????What? ????Yeah. It wasn't a Rabbit or anything nuts like that, it was super sleek and stainless steel, and was probably four inches long and smaller in diameter than a dime. ????I remember thinking, "Yeah, why the fuck not?" She was an elegant woman. She carried herself very well, and I completely admired the fact that it was so nonchalant. I think it would be great if one day our culture could get that way about sexuality for women. ????What are some common misconceptions about designing specifically for women? ????Making everything pink. That would be a big misconception. At the same time, there are a lot of women who like pink, but the problem is knowing your audience and knowing what type of pink to choose and what other colors they like, and giving women real options that are designed for their lifestyle. |