Bottled Water Looks in the Mirror (and Doesn’t Like What it Sees)
19 Nov
Posted by Eric as Health, News, Sustainability, Videos
It’s official. The backlash against bottled water has finally “tipped” as Kim Jeffrey, the CEO of Nestle Waters, which controls 35% of the market, acknowledges his company’s damage to the environment. His honesty is commendable. Unfortunately for Nestle Water and peers, bottled water has become the new “cigarettes” - a disdainful bad habit.
We’re rocking the homepage over at A+R, which features some of the coolest design objects you can find in Los Angeles and online. We’re honored they decided to “hand-pick” KOR for their store! Check ‘em out here….
About A+R on A+R:
A+R is British ex-pat Andy Griffith, a former film editor and self-avowed design junkie, and Rose Apodaca, a pop culture and style journalist.
In late 2005, we opened our tiny shop in the heart of the Los Angeles creative enclave known as Silverlake, keen on sharing our excitement for great new design with anyone who would listen. We followed up a year later with our online store. And in fall 2007, our second freestanding store opened on Abbot Kinney in Venice, CA.
This week, KOR hit the streets of L.A. with this window display at the Avita Co-op, a stylish eco-fashion boutique in the heart of trendy West Hollywood. Avita is the creation of designer Amanda Shi. In addition to carrying Shi’s unique clothing, Avita showcases the work of other local designers, carries a variety of sustainable beauty products and accessories and acts as center for environmental education and outreach.
We’d like to give a big shout-out to Amanda and Avita buyer Janelle Block for showcasing KOR and helping to make sustainable hydration the fashionable choice for thirsty Angelenos.
This beauty comes in from Josh Bryant, who is one amazing photographer and new customer of KOR. Thanks for the pic, Josh. Here’s the flickr photostream.
Well, the wait is finally over. We officially started shipping out the KOR ONE to all the loyal folks who have been waiting for one of their own. If you followed the saga of our launch on this blog, you are no doubt aware that the ride was a bit bumpy. But we’re happy to report that the road ahead looks clear and we’re ready to shift into high gear. And as you can probably tell from the photo, it was a great day for all of us here at KOR HQ.
Over the next few days, the KOR ONE will start appearing at thousands of doorsteps and mailboxes. The rest will be up to you. What will you do with your KOR? We’d love to find out! Just upload your photos to the KOR ONE flickr group, created by KOR customer Jorge Lozano. Thanks Jorge!…. Read the rest of this entry »
KOR recently had the chance to tell our story at the annual, National Conference of the IDSA (Industrial Designers Society of America) which was themed “Polar Opposites”. If there were ever a “polar opposite”, it has to be bottled water and the environment.
When we started KOR, one of our goals was to transform the lowly water bottle into a fashion accessory. So when the folks at New York City’s Nolcha Fashion Week asked us if we’d be interested in debuting the KOR ONE there, we jumped at the chance. Flying into the city, we have to admit we were a little nervous. When it comes to judging beauty, we knew this would be a tough crowd. But our fears dissolved quickly as the ONE received a warm reception. It seemed like everyone, from the designers and models, to the make-up crew and photographers wanted one of their own. Like many of us, the fashion world is increasingly looking for ways to go green, so the ONE’s good looks weren’t the only thing they liked about it. Our only disappointment was that the KOR ONE didn’t get to sashay down the catwalk with a supermodel, but there’s always next year. To view more photos, click here.
We recently attended the New York premiere of FLOW (for the Love of Water), a terrific new documentary about the science, economics and politics of water. The film opens with a quote from the poet W.H. Auden that says it all: “Thousands have lived without love, but none without water.” From there we embark on a worldwide journey to learn how communities are coping with a stark reality: the world’s supply of fresh water is running out and a handful of multinational corporations are vying to control what remains. While we in the industrialized world have always taken clean, easily accessible water for granted, the film makes it clear that we’ll begin to suffer the same fate as the water-starved third world if we don’t act soon. The situation may sound bleak, but FLOW offers hope through the stories of people around the world who have successfully organized to protect their water supplies. You won’t be bored. FLOW is fast-paced, full of gorgeous photography and engaging interviews.
FLOW is currently playing in New York and Los Angeles and will be rolling out to the rest of U.S. over the next several weeks. A complete schedule and lots of other great information is available at the FLOW website. We urge you to check it out.
We admit it, we messed up. Back in June, as sample KOR ONE units were rolling off the production line, everything looked good for an August first launch. The ONE just needed a little fine tuning to give it the precision feel we had set out to achieve from the beginning. We consulted with our design and engineering teams and decided we had plenty of time. So we launched our website and shouted from the rooftops that the KOR ONE would be available on August first. But that day came and went, and as many of you have noticed, the ONE was nowhere to be found.
What happened? Frankly, we underestimated the amount of time it would take to bring the ONE up to our high standards. Delaying the launch was a painful decision. We were incredibly excited about the ONE and couldn’t wait to share it with the rest of the world. But we couldn’t do so until we felt it was ready. The good news is that we are now very close and are committed to making the ONE available by the end of September.
We’d like to take this opportunity to apologize for the delay and to tell those of you who are still waiting how much we appreciate your patience. Despite the hardship, this has been a good lesson for us. In the future, we’ll strive to do better. And while we may never be perfect, we want you to count on us for straight answers when we’re not.
Good things take time. The KOR ONE Vessel has been in development since 2005 and (seriously folks) is just moments away from launching. Our relationship with world-renowned design firm RKS has also blossomed into a deep partnership focused around KOR’s mission of sustainable, personal hydration. Today we jointly announced KOR and RKS will partner in strategic, equity way. Design is part of KOR’s DNA, and we want to be working with the best. In the months and years ahead, KOR Water will be working closely with RKS to conceive, design and produce an innovative line of sustainable water products and services. Bottles, pitchers, accessories, water enhancements….we’re doing it all. We’re thrilled to have Ravi and the RKS team on board as KOR begins this incredible journey.