Bombay Sapphire Stretch-Malpensa Airport

April 1, 2006 - Bombay Sapphire, Tom Dixon and Milan Malpensa International Airport are proud to unveil the longest sofa in the world, the Bombay Sapphire Stretch.

An award-winning supporter of innovative design in public spaces, Bombay Sapphire has installed the Bombay Sapphire Stretch, a one-of-a-kind sofa designed by Tom Dixon, in Malpensa Airport.

Launching on April 3rd to coincide with Milan Design Week, the distinctive 45-metre long modular sofa will be highlighted by Tom Dixon's copper light shades in the centre of the airport's departures area. Here travellers will be invited to take a break from their hectic schedules and be inspired by great design whilst lounging on the sofa.

The Bombay Sapphire Stretch project was first launched in London's Trafalgar Square during the London Design Festival last September and was conceived in conjunction with Tom Dixon's new Rubber Band Chair also launched at the Festival. An extraordinary and innovative public seating installation, the Bombay Sapphire Stretch was 75-metres long and constructed from 12,000 super size rubber bands.

Moving the project into the airport arena, the Bombay Sapphire Stretch has evolved from a rubber band design to a Bombay Sapphire inspired patterned fabric, developed in association with fabric specialist, Gabriel, on a new
modular sofa. The partnership for Tom Dixon to create "Bombay Sapphire Stretch" was a natural fit, as he sits on the esteemed Bombay Sapphire Foundation.

Tom Dixon notes, "The evolution of the Bombay Sapphire Stretch is incredibly exciting. For me, it's great to see how travellers will interact with the sofa and to get an immediate public response to a new furniture design concept."

Ylva Persson of Bombay Sapphire adds: "I love working alongside talented designers like Tom to explore ways in which we can bring fresh design experiences to airport travellers. As visitors to Salone del Mobile depart Milan, the Bombay Sapphire Stretch will give them their final inspirational design experience of the week."

Bombay Sapphire has had a longstanding presence in Milan during the annual Salone del Mobile. In its fifth year, the annual Bombay Sapphire Designer Glass Competition, featuring 26 countries and thousands of up-and-coming designers, invites competitors to create their Bombay Sapphire inspired martini glass. On April 6, 2006, a panel of high-profile judges, including Ron Arad, Nadja Swarovski, and Patricia Urguiola will select the winning designer who will receive a prize of US$15,000.

No stranger to using airports as museums, Bombay Sapphire has worked with designers such as Yves Béhar, Emma Gardner and Tord Boontje to bring design into unusual venues. A travelling Bombay Sapphire Designer Glass Exhibition featuring past winning glasses from Milan's Salone del Mobile has been on display with much acclaim in airports including Copenhagen, Singapore, Bangkok, Sydney, London and New York. Another installation featured a celebrated 2-ton chandelier composed of 52,000 Swarovski crystals and 2,000 "Bombay Blue" LED lights at New York's JFK Terminal 4. Bombay Sapphire has consistently challenged consumers to experience design in new ways.

Ends
Editor's note:

Unlike most gins, which boil their botanicals directly in the spirit to achieve their taste, Bombay Sapphire is distilled alone and the 10 uniquely combined botanicals from around the world are infused to achieve a much greater subtlety of taste. Based on a secret recipe from 1761, Bombay Sapphire is produced by passing the spirit vapour through the botanicals, which are held separately from the spirit in a perforated copper basket. This process known as Vapour Infusion allows the gentle absorption of each of the aromatic flavours, resulting in a wonderfully balanced, crisp yet delicate finish; creating a versatility unmatched by other gins that can be savoured on its own in a classic martini cocktail, or in mixed cocktails.

To find out more about Bombay Sapphire and its commitment to the design community go to www.bombaysapphire.com

For further information and photography/electronic images please contact: Cathryn Davis, +212/682-2293 x112 / cdavis@deussenglobal.com

  06.24.03BombaySapphireStretch.doc (313 kB)