May 9, 2023 |
If you’ve ever wondered whether shapes have sounds, Sportmax has the answer. For its SS23 collection, the innovative Italian brand has stepped out of the shadow of its older sibling Max Mara and taken inspiration from the ‘Bouba/Kiki’ effect to create a curvaceous, pillow-like handbag. ‘Bouba/Kiki’ – first developed by German psychologist Wolfgang Köhler in the 1920s – refers to the relationship between sounds and their associated shapes. The concept is a non-arbitrary mapping between speech and the shape of an object, exploring the influence that the sound’s visual shape has on our perception of it. Köhler realised that people associated the word ‘baluba’ (later adapted to bouba) with shapes that were soft, round and bulbous, just like this cushy sidepiece. Hence: the Bouba bag.
That said, the Bouba bag features an oversized and rounded, wooden frame opening to its cushioned leather pouch. Now available for purchase from Sportmax’s website, this perfectly pudgy purse is a welcome addition to the brand’s playful shift – and will be sure to cushion the blow of parting with your hard-earned cash.
Photography courtesy of Sportmax. Shop the Bouba bag here.
