Yanko Design - Form Beyond Function

Style that Saves Lives

Posted: 01 Jul 2017 06:19 AM PDT

With environmental issues only getting increasingly serious, it’s time to stop and evaluate your surroundings. Global warming aside, we’ve seen a massive spike in air based pollutants and believe it or not, more than 5.5 million people die per year from air-pollution related health complications. As a responsible endeavor to help more citizens breathe quality air, Parisian designer Pierre Henry BOR made the R-PUR… an anti-pollution mask designed for two-wheeler commuters, but perfectly usable by pedestrians too.

The R-PUR comes with having studied air-quality in Asia, and is designed to outperform standard masks by not just filtering nano-particles, but by even trapping microorganisms, bacteria, and even bad odors. Waterproof on the outside and comfortably breathable on the inside, the mask comes fitted with a state-of-the-art filter that not only meets Europe’s highest air-filtration norm, the en149 – FFF3, but it also comes with a valve that allows moisture to escape, so you don’t feel stuffy while breathing, or don’t experience fogging on your eye-wear. Its soft shell design makes sure it retains its shape when worn, and doesn’t collapse on your face while breathing.

Not just a utilitarian product, the R-PUR meets style standards too, coming from arguably one of the most fashionable cities in the world. The mask’s aesthetic not only makes a statement that pairs with your personal fashion choice, it even helps make the mask look less industrial, helping it gain wide acceptance on the streets. Along with the mask comes the R-PUR app that measures your daily commute, and pairs it with air-pollution readings around you so it can tell you when your mask’s filters need replacing.

The R-PUR couldn’t arrive at a more perfect time, with countries having heated debates over environmental changes and safety. While some countries are acting swiftly on pollution reduction (with China building large towers that turn air-borne carbon particles into jewelry, and even the Liuzhou Forest City to help reduce smog), the truth of the matter is that making air breathable again for everybody is a long-drawn task that takes decades and dedicated efforts from governments and citizens. Just as how it’s a personal effort to make sure we apply sunscreen on ourselves before stepping outdoors, protecting ones lungs and lives from polluted air is something that each person must do on their own. Watch the video above to learn more about how the R-PUR can extend your life expectancy by 2 years with purified air.

Designers: Pierre Henry BOR & R-PUR

BUY NOW: $79 $109

BUY NOW: $79 $109

YD Handpicks: 8 Incredibly Innovative Wallets

Posted: 30 Jun 2017 07:21 PM PDT

New month, new paycheck. Crisp new notes, tattered old wallet? It’s a good thing you’re here because the wallets below aren’t just your run-of-the-mill moneybags. They have good design and innovation written all over them. Check out these inventive cash-stashers!

1. Bellroy All Conditions Wallet – The Bear Grylls of the wallet world
Most leather wallets hate water and need proper caring for. Well, if your leather wallet literally has the name All-Conditions in it, maybe you don’t need to worry about a little H2O. Bellroy’s All-Conditions Wallet is compact enough to fit all pockets (even the ones on your shirt), has separate cash and coin compartments, and comes with a leather and zipper that hold the fort against rain, spilled drinks, splashes, and look great while doing it.

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2. Secrid Mini Wallet – A wallet with a trigger
Think of it as an uber-cool wallet or think of it as an elaborate card-holding fidget toy, but the Secrid Mini Wallet is undeniably cool. The leather housing on the outside holds a metal card case on the inside that comes with a plastic trigger. Pull it, and your cards slide out with swagger, in a cascading manner. In fact, the Gif below shows how the inner-metal-case and trigger work. Oh, and it blocks unauthorized RFID scanning too.

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3. OGON Mini Safe Wallet – You’re going to need a crowbar
Most wallets hold cards and cash. The OGON Mini Safe Wallet locks cards and cash. More of a vault-let than a wallet, this bad-boy comes with a combination lock that secures your valuables inside its aluminum and polycarbonate case. Maybe you’ll take a few extra seconds to get to your cards to make payments, but you’ll never have to worry about anything going missing from inside your wallet.

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4. Recycled Firefighter Leather Wallet – The wallet with an incredible backstory
Not just a quirky brand name, the Recycled Firefighter Leather Wallet is actually made from leather re-purposed from discarded firefighter gear. In this case, made from firefighter’s boots, these leather wallets are resilient-to-the-max and can even literally withstand fire. In fact, think of the number of lives this wallet must have saved! Not a leather fan? You can even buy wallets re-purposed from decommissioned fire-hoses.

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5. Dango Tactical EDC Wallet – More than just money
As I resist the urge to make a Pen Pineapple Apple Pen reference, the Dango Tactical EDC Wallet combines a carry case for your money and cards (12 of them) with a tactical survival multi-tool (with over 10 functions) into a svelte package that outperforms in regular jungles as well as concrete jungles too.

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6. Sharkk Basics Wallet – May I see your license please?
For that one card you always end up using, whether it’s your ID card, or a license, or even a pass, the Sharkk Basics Wallet comes with a hard-aluminum design that locks all your cards and cash, but contains a convenient display window for a card of your choice. You don’t have to fish through your wallet for your ID Proof anymore. Convenience, thy name is Sharkk.

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7. Decadent Minimalist Wallet – Such Minimal, Much Wallet
It seems almost hilarious that this wallet would be called the “Decadent”, because if it were any more minimal, it would be a rubber band. However, minimal doesn’t mean ineffective, because the Decadent Wallet forms a protective and binding bumper-style boundary around all your cards (up to 12 of them), holding them in place in perhaps the thinnest and lightest enclosure possible.

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8. Mr. Lentz Bifold Wallet – All it takes is a single leather sheet
We complete full circle, returning to the humble bifold, after having looked at all types of wallets. The Mr. Lentz Bifold Wallet however isn’t just another conventional wallet. It’s made from a single cut-leather sheet, folded and fastened together with just 4 rivets to create a traditional, yet sophisticated money-holder. Completely hand-made, using the finest full-grain vegetable-tanned leather, the wallet can rival most industrial-made wallets. Plus it’s probably the only wallet that comes along with a leather-maintaining kit to keep your man-purse looking suave as ever.

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Nokia’s return to glory

Posted: 30 Jun 2017 03:00 PM PDT

Can I say, before the smartphone craze, Nokia was the Apple. Their phones surpassed everything we wished and hoped for. If you didn’t have a Nokia, you didn’t have a phone worth even talking about, or talking into. Now that craze has split among various other companies, with Apple and Samsung having the lion’s share. However, in my heart I will always root for Nokia.

The Nokia Vision 2018 concept phone brings Nokia’s Lumia aesthetic to modern times, with bezel-less screens, chrome accents, a dual back-facing camera, and Android-powered brain (85% of the world’s favorite mobile OS).

Even with its for-modern-times design, there’s something still very Nokia about it. The tight radii on the phone’s corners and glass with rounded edges. It goes from being lovable, with Lumia’s candy colors, to being taken seriously, with the black matte-finish playing wonderfully off the camera’s chrome accents on the back. Welcome back, Nokia, welcome back!

Designer: Jonas Daehnert