Design of the Week: The $20,000 HENK Suitcase

The HENK a suitcase, designed by internationally famous Frog Design, is custom-built to each customer's specifications at a minimum cost of $20,000.

That is correct: $20,000.

The suitcase started with a vision by a Dutch real estate magnate named Henk van de Meene who wanted a better, simpler accessory for travel. He employed Frog Design to create the concept, and the result is the finest crafted travel case ever made. The piece is built with 500 separate parts which include such exotic materials as Italian wood veneer, ostrich skin, ebony, titanium, and carbon fiber.

van de Meene asked that the case almost float, and Frog Design answered by creating a pair of thin, retractable wheels that are positioned in a such a perfect balance under the case that even the heaviest of cargos can be pulled and manipulated with the force of a single finger. The design innovations don't stop at the wheels, though. Nearly every function, from the handles to the lock, has been completely rethought and developed from a fresh perspective.

But what of its true functionality? It's completely non-functional. Why? No one with any level of sanity would ever use this case for daily air travel. The case is so stunning that it would instantly stand out as an object of desire and be immediately stolen. So, now the only market is private jet users and yachting-types. And I guess, after all, this is really the market HENK is after.

HENK is poised to sell 200 of these suitcases annually, so most likely we won't be seeing this bag on the streets but at posh country clubs the like of the writer will never see. Still, I hope for the day that I go in to a thrift store and see one of these cases available for my very own, a detritus of the ultra-rich.

Stylehive is excited to be featuring some of the best style bloggers on the web today. Brandon Thomas Baunach is an architect and blogger who writes and produces Design Crack, a popular design blog with an emphasis on high concept and luxury design objects.

Where In The Hive: bookmark

Who: honeybee was the first to add the Henk suitcase to the Hive