Huawei, Vogue China and Fornasetti collaborate on special edition watch, designed by Barnaba Fornasetti

Given as exclusive gifts to guests of Vogue China’s tenth anniversary party at Milan Fashion Week, this design marks the start of Huawei’s crowd-sourced design platform

Milan -- Huawei Consumer Business Group (BG) today unveils its first special edition watch, styled by renowned Italian designer Barnaba Fornasetti for guests of the Vogue China tenth anniversary celebrations. This gift represents a collaboration between Huawei, Vogue China and Fornasetti that seamlessly marries art, design and modern technology.

Huawei Watch with the special Fornasetti design

The Fornasetti-designed watch allows users to stay connected wherever they are, with notifications for calls, texts, instant messages and emails.

The exclusive Fornasetti design of the watch face includes the iconic Fornasetti “Tema e Variazioni” motif, with the watch strap and accompanying box both designed using the classic green “Malachite”, typical of Fornasetti’s designs. The box also showcases the instantly-recognisable Fornasetti keyhole.

This premium watch combines a timeless aesthetic design with smart technology embedded within.

Huawei Watch face with the iconic Fornasetti “Tema e Variazioni” motif and classic green “Malachite” strap

The special edition watch will only be available as gifts to guests of the Vogue China tenth anniversary party, sponsored by Huawei, which marks the closure of Milan Fashion Week. The world-famous fashion photographer Mario Testino, and supermodels Karlie Kloss and Sean O’Pry, who featured in the Huawei Watch advertising campaign and photo shoot, will attend the exclusive event.

Huawei Watch box with the instantly-recognisable Fornasetti keyhole design

To coincide with the unveiling of the Fornasetti for Vogue China watch, Huawei is launching a ‘Design Powered By Huawei’ platform http://consumer.huawei.com/design for designers and artists to submit their creations via a website. Whether it be custom skins for existing products such as the watch, or crystal ball looks at future products such as the smartphone or smartwatch of tomorrow, Huawei is excited to see what the design community creates.

A classic design aesthetic built with smart technology

Barnaba Fornasetti

Crafted using sophisticated materials, all editions of the Huawei watch feature a fully circular 1.4-inch touch-sensitive AMOLED display, coated in scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass (the favoured choice amongst Swiss watch manufacturers) and a cold-forged stainless steel frame.

A premium watch, its design truly embodies the space where fashion meets technology. The watch face is made of scratch-resistant sapphire crystal and measures 42mm in diametre, which is the traditional dimension for wristwatches.

Capable of downloading music for offline playback, and with Bluetooth connectivity for wireless headphones, it’s the perfect running companion. A heart rate sensor accurately measures heart rates, and the 6-Axis motion sensor can track activities including walking, running and stair climbing.

Embracing the worlds of fashion and technology

The classic Fornasetti brand dates back to the twentieth century and was started by Piero Fornasetti, styled as a ‘designer of dreams’. In terms of decorative ideas, Fornasetti’s production of objects and furniture is one of the largest of the 20th century. Fornasetti’s son, Barnaba, is perpetuating the Fornasetti tradition by continuing to produce and re-invent Fornasetti designs, sharing his father’s true artistic vision and roots in an artisan approach.

Glimpse inside the home of Barnaba Fornasetti

The “Tema e Variazioni” motif, found on the Huawei watch face design, is inspired by 19th century Italian opera singer Lina Cavalieri. This image was chosen by Fornasetti for the same reason he chose his iconic archetypes: because of its classic, formal beauty. Lina’s face compliments the timeless design of the Huawei watch and further embodies the embrace of fashion and technology.

Barnaba Fornasetti said of his Huawei watch design: “The Fornasetti brand is built upon the revival and reinvention of its classic designs and objects, giving them a new purpose and always keeping its artisan approach. The Lina face is a part of my father’s legacy and to reinforce its timeless design, I paradoxically decided to apply it on a cutting edge product that keeps time”.

Glory Zhang, Chief Marketing Officer, Huawei Consumer BG, said of the Fornasetti watch design: “This collaboration with Fornasetti is the start of an exciting journey for Huawei, delivering connections between innovative technology and art, design and culture. This is the first of many exciting cultural collaborations as we move to become an innovator within the arts.”