With the launch of the Beosound A5, Bang & Olufsen has reimagined an icon – the coveted Beolit series – with the help of Italian-Danish design duo GamFratesi. Drawing on their backgrounds, Danish-Italian duo Stine Gam and Enrico Fratesi have aimed to bridge Southern and Northern design cultures to create an impressive feat of Scandinavian aesthetic with its own distinct identity.
Find out more about Bang & Olufsen’s most versatile speaker yet in a conversation between Vogue Arabia and GamFratesi.
What about Bang & Olufsen drew you to this collaboration, and how did it come to be?
We were delighted when Bang & Olufsen approached us about three years ago regarding this project. They knew that they wanted it to be the most powerful portable speaker to date designed with longevity in mind. We were tasked with creating the two speaker designs and were very interested in the materials and form to create a different aesthetic.
Do you have any memories associated with Bang & Olufsen or any favorite products from the brand?
Bang & Olufsen is a brand where products are handed down by generations. I vividly remember my grandmother having a Bang & Olufsen turntable as a child which has been passed on to me and now plays in our home.
How would you define your design philosophy?
As a studio, we design with a fusion of tradition and renewal with an experimental approach to materials and techniques. We always consider simplicity, respect for the DNA of a company, and functionality when we design, which is a very Danish approach. A significant way in which we work is that we always have a concept; an idea that comes in at the beginning which we try to preserve until the end. This is a very Italian way of working.
What does working together look like for you two?
We are two very different people but act in unity. We work closely through all the different stages of the creative and development process. We share many of the same competencies and interests and appreciate working in such a tight collaboration. It is a rather symbiotic process, where we are both so involved that it is often impossible to distinguish who started and finished what.
How did you ensure Beosound A5 was the perfect combination of your creative direction and the quintessential B&O aesthetic?
Our work is in keeping with the Scandinavian approach to craftsmanship, simplicity, and functionalism, but we also create a strong emotional spirit and story in our concepts. We were delighted to work with a company like Bang & Olufsen which has so much legacy and shares our values towards timeless design and craftsmanship.
Our inspiration for Beosound A5 came from many places including the iconic Beolit series as well as natural materials synonymous with the colors and textures found in Scandinavian nature. From the traditional Panama straw hats worn on beaches to the hand-woven leather accents of Danish chairs from the 1960s, blends of natural materials applied in experimental ways guided our design journey.
We decided to create two different finishes that are both rooted in a Scandinavian aesthetic while each has a distinct design signature on its own. Beosound A5 in Nordic Weave incorporates Bang & Olufsen’s signature material of natural aluminum with a woven paper fiber front and light oak handle, creating a feeling of laid-back Scandinavian summers spent at the beach. Beosound A5 Dark Oak incorporates black anthracite aluminum paired with dark oak, creating a completely different mood, and evoking winter woodlands. Both finishes can sit beautifully inside a home or outside in nature.
The soft organic curves and natural materials of Beosound A5 reference the curved edges, handles, and wooden teak finishes from various early Beolit models which were influential during our design and research process for Beosound A5.
You are known for striking a balance between traditional and contemporary in your designs. How does that manifest in this launch?
Personally, we have always looked at history with a respectful attitude. We admire the Scandinavian design masters of the past where their work consisted of quality craftsmanship and materials combined with functional and honest design. We are also inspired by the Italian masters for their intellectual approach to design.
Therefore, we draw from both the classic Danish furniture and craft tradition as well as the classic Italian conceptual approach. It is through this dichotomy in our work and daily life that we are constantly confronted with contrasts, and contrasts are often the center of our inspiration.
For Beosound A5, our mission was to respect tradition but innovate in small steps to bring a new language to something familiar. The combination of a powerful and hard material like aluminum combined with the soft, natural woven paper fiber speaker cover creates a striking contrast between materials. Through precision and attention to detail, the design works in harmony, creating a completely unique finish on the product.
How do your Italian and Danish backgrounds influence your work, particularly, this launch?
This design is an honest fusion of two cultures and our work process leads to a hybrid and interesting result. Our Danish and Italian approaches spontaneously take shape between our two personalities and merge to create a unique synergy.
How did you ensure the timeless nature of the speaker’s design?
Creating quality products with materials that can age beautifully over time is extremely important to us. We believe that products should not just be for temporary trends but treated as personal objects to be experienced and carried on into the future. It was lovely to work with Bang & Olufsen where their approach to timeless design and longevity is extremely important to the company and was very much part of the process when designing Beosound A5.
In addition to Beosound A5’s timeless appearance, the speaker has been modularly designed so that it can be easily serviced and repaired to extend its lifetime if needed instead of being replaced by a new speaker. Bang & Olufsen will continue to produce easily exchangeable front covers in new materials and colorways so that Beosound A5 can evolve with your style and identity.
Thanks to Bang & Olufsen’s Mozart software platform, the longevity of Beosound A5 goes beyond physical craftsmanship and modular design. Mozart provides the most up-to-date features across audio, connectivity, and software design. It connects the heritage of the past, the technology of the present, and the innovation of the future for Bang & Olufsen products. Beosound A5 has the capacity and capability to evolve with new technologies, and unlock new listening experiences, for years to come.
How do you envision the Beosound A5 being used/placed indoors and outdoors?
We think both finishes can sit beautifully inside a home or outside in nature and the portability factor means it is very versatile when it comes to placement options.
What are some interior design tips you would give to someone bringing the Beosound A5 home?
Create your own still life by bringing music into your space with a natural aesthetic. We think both finishes can sit beautifully inside a home or outside in nature and the portability factor means it is very versatile when it comes to placement options.
What is one design trend you think would last forever?
Quality is a timeless value. For this reason, in each project, we focus on creating products that have great value by combining a timeless aesthetic with a selection of quality materials. This will make the product long-lasting, for its quality to adapt to time and use. The product should also be able to create a personal relationship between the product and the user, hopefully for a very long time and generations.
What are five ways to effortlessly elevate a space?
Material, light, color, proportions, and personality.