RIMOWA Design Prize: The Next Generation of Talent

This year, the RIMOWA Design Prize is returning with its second edition to celebrate and foster new talents in the design world. Under the theme of mobility, seven finalists have been chosen by an esteemed jury consisting of prestigious names like Alexandre Arnault, Hugues Bonnet-Masimbert, and Andreas Murkudis. With its rich heritage, the German Maison is continuing the discussion around innovation, inclusivity, and global change with its own RIMOWA Design Prize. Among the participants were students from several leading universities across Germany who went through a two-month-long stint of mentoring to reveal the finalists. Each one had the freedom to delve into the subject of mobility, breathing life into their designed object with the values of resilience, sustainability, and timelessness.

Before the award ceremony that takes place during Berlin Design Week, SLEEK had the chance to interview one of the finalist duos, Jasmin and Pascal. Together, they designed Strollect, a sharing system for collecting waste in urban areas. 

SLEEK: What was the initial impulse to create Strollect?

Jasmin and Pascal: After finding out the theme of this year’s RIMOWA Design Prize, we knew from the beginning that we did not want to create a traditional mobility concept. More so we wanted to address a problem we are encountering in everyday life. Soon after, we came across the global problem of littering in nature, especially in the sea and urban areas. But there are no necessary means to enable us to collect the waste we see all the time. This is where our idea of a litter collection rental service has come to life.

S: The design of Strollect seems familiar and new at the same time. What has influenced the design process?

J&P: Already existing trolleys from the cleaning, sports and transportation sectors have been incorporated into the design. The basic shape of the garbage can was also a source of inspiration. To withstand all weather conditions, we have decided to use powder-coated metal which is also relatively easy to produce and therefore some of the production costs can be saved. The interior of the Strollect is divided like old file dividers so that you can separate the waste. For the app, we partly based it on existing solutions from other sharing providers, such as rental bikes. As we also wanted to integrate a social component, so-called events are displayed in the app either created by local communities or Strollect. To further push the use of Strollect, you can also collect benefit points that can be redeemed at local partners such as cafés, museums or other attractions.

S: What functions does Strollect integrate to push a deeper connection to its users?

J&P: We additionally have designed a website to ensure that Strollect is as transparent as possible. There is a small camera on the gripper that recognizes the type of waste collected and pressure points on the bottom of the trolley register the weight of the waste. All the data is recorded by the system and displayed publicly on the website in the form of a map. It provides information on where and what type of waste was collected, in what period of time and in which quantity. This statistically processed data could be of particular interest to city administrations, scientific and political institutions, as well as private organizations. As the cycle of waste doesn’t stop there, information is provided on how Strollect handles the waste after it is collected and to which partner companies it is handed over for recycling. We believe that transparency towards users is one of the highest priorities to make a project work.