Stories of Hrastnik1860
This year may be remembered as a period of crisis for the luxury industry, but the products competing for a Formes de Luxe Award are proof that innovation can shine through even in hard times. Phillipp Plein The $kull bottle made with Hrastnik1860 is one of three nominees in the Fragrance and Cosmetics Bottle category at the Formes de Luxe Award, accompanied by The Parfums Givenchy L’Interdit solid perfume and Neandertal bottle by Kentaro Yamada.
“I am a dreamer and a believer. I dreamt of launching a perfume years ago, I just wanted to wait for the right moment and the right partners. PHILIPP PLEIN exists for a reason; we are born to be different. So today it is because of our game-changing spirit that this dream is coming true. My first perfume creation is completely different from anything that already exists in the industry and from now on that industry will never be the same again.” – Philipp Plein, Founder & Owner of PHILIPP PLEIN group. The fragrance is born of a co-creation breathed into life by Philipp Plein himself and the internationally acclaimed Master Perfumer Alberto Morillas.
Technical support as main strenght in crafting.
A new icon is born.
A sculptural, three-dimensional multifaceted bottle, never-seen in perfumery. A true masterpiece.
THE $KULL is a stunning and unprecedented Perfume Art Edition, to mark PHILIPP PLEIN’s hitting the world of perfumery. THE $KULL is a strong symbol of life, inspiring to live life to the fullest. The flacon is a sculptural and imposing piece of art, unprecedented in the world of fragrances. A three-dimensional multifaceted head, sculpted like a black diamond and carved from massive black-lacquered glass. A true masterpiece, crafted from the inside out.
CASE STUDY
PRODUCT TYPE: Perfume bottle; PRODUCT NAME: The $kull (Perfume Art Edition); BRAND OWNER: Philipp Plein Parfumes SA
Hrastnik1860 was chosen to be one of the right partners to bring this project to retail shelves on time. As actively expanding in luxury perfumery business it is very important to be able to understand the challenges customers have in this specific industry. Apart from having years of experiences and renown quality of the glass, our customers expect from us also willingness to participate in translation from marketing architectural layouts to glass industrialization of projects. Having strong team of development, technical and production experts who are willing to go many times through feasibility of different options was considered as a turnkey in winning the following project. Hrastnik invited a licensing company of Philipp Plein ever first fragrance launch to participate in this case study, while design of the bottle was highly enhanced and manufacturing required a careful and complex study each step at the time.
The feature we have built and technical challenges we have faced.
#CHALLENGE1
Main technical challenge of the product was the size, weight and the thinness of the bottle. Since iconic skull symbol irradiates identity of the brand in an art edition bottle, the skull parts on the sides needed to be precisely distant from each other in visually acceptable proportions. Initial side width from the marketing drawing was 25mm, but careful study showed it would be necessary to lower the weight and size of the bottle. Consequently, the required volume would be compromised.
#SOLUTION1
Challenged by the heavy gob that needed to enter the blank mould successfully, Hrastnik1860 decided to analyse all bottles within portfolio with similar requirements. Innovative 3D study with Siemens NX live simulation of the mould led to assurance of the bottle feasibility on the minimum of 27mm side width, which secured the requested volume of 125ml. Proposed dimensions were then carefully studied from both sides once again, new drawing was confirmed, and trust was established.
#CHALLENGE2
Possibility of cracking mouth on the glass bottle of 380gr and FEA15 neck was another technical challenge we had to face.
#SOLUTION2
The strength of the neck was only possible to achieve with precise and technically demanding technique of heating the upper part of neck on the machine and immediate cooling after the blowing process.
#CHALLENGE3
Bottle width is 106cm which makes corners and other surfaces very distant from the entrance of the gob.
#SOLUTION3
Blowing glass to all distant corners proportionally required immensely error-free technical control of the settings on the machine. We made sure to have the very best experts leading the production.
#CHALLENGE4
The Skull bottle is also nothing like ordinary in design of other complex components that needed to make perfect match with the glass.
#SOLUTION4
An understanding of behaviour of the glass on this project was generated through testing the tools modifications. Speaking of collar and skull head half parts, the knowledge to make clear-cut tooling corrections on CNC machine was essential to gain precise control over the glass blown into the corners of the step on shoulders for collar. And same for well-defined skull shaped outlines on the both sides of the bottle that were indented.