Monday November 23, 2009

Ticking all the boxes

By PATSY KAM

Nooka uses a universal language to tell time.

ONE of the first rules of design, or art for that matter, is that it’s arbitrary. What works for one person may not appeal to another. But, that’s how it always starts – with one person willing to take that risk and be different.

Matthew Waldman, the founder of Nooka, unabashedly declares himself a “design genius”. He said he wasn’t “out to reinvent the wheel” but was definitely looking at ways to “communicate intuitively and universally.”

"I need to be surrounded by new things. I can’t live with nostalgia or old stuff, except for David Bowie"- MATTHEW WALDMAN FOUNDER OF NOOKA

“There were so many people already looking at redesigning the keyboard, for instance, so I wasn’t going there. Then, I looked at the clock, an abstract concept but fairly universal.

“Basically, numerals are a universal language. So, I challenged myself to come up with an intuitive watch to communicate time (that a kid could figure it out),” said Waldman during an interview in Singapore.

At first glance, the Nooka stumps you as there aren’t any hour, minute or second hands, but neither is it digitally numeric. When I asked him about it, he handed me a watch and said: “Go figure.” Thankfully, I worked it out, otherwise he would have relegated me to the dunce club!

The list of loyal Nooka fans include celebrities like Lil’ Wayne, Alicia Keyes, Snoop Dog and Erykah Badu.

Back in 1997, he sketched five designs that represented time in a linear and graphic fashion on a hotel paper napkin. That became the origin of his initial designs for his collection, the first one being most similar to the current Nooka Zoo model.

Can you tell the time from this Nooka Zub?

Although Nooka watches were already available in 2000, Waldman only established Nooka Inc in 2005 after his licensing agreement with another watch company ended. His first major client was MoMA (which sells classic, modern and cutting edge design products including items produced exclusively by the Modern Museum of Art) in the United States, and since then, Nooka has been gaining popularity in Asia as well.

The brand name evolved from the word “nuclear” (to evoke futurism) with a play on the name of the city of New York where Waldman is from.

As someone who doesn’t hesitate to speak his mind, Waldman, 44, says he’s not looking at converting the world to his futuristic language of time.

“I’m not a watch person nor do I ‘love watches’. That wasn’t the genesis of the brand. It was about exploring new ways to communicate.

“Take shoelaces, for example. They can be difficult for a child. And if you need instructions, then it’s not intuitive. But now, you have velcro – that’s communication. I’ve always been fascinated with a universal language and I’m trying to apply this trend of thought to everything I deal with,” he said.

Waldman is happy with how Nooka has progressed but he stresses that it’s not all about watches. “When I started designing for myself, I wanted my stuff to look like they belong to the future. There are things today that still don’t look like the 21st century. How can you put an iPhone (that’s futuristic-looking) next to an old watch or necktie? How do you reconcile life and the latest technology?

“What’s more important to me as a designer, is that Nooka is that new language of the future. The future should be cool, sexy and fashionable. It’s not ‘sci-fi and geeky’,” he said.

Described on his biodata as a creative professional in brand development, graphic and product design, and fine art as well as adjunct instructor at the Parsons school of design, Waldman is (in his own words) “not your average ignorant arrogant American” as he also reads and speaks Japanese.

“As a child, I was exposed to Japanese culture which seemed very orderly and I liked that. I love the modern Japan, their animation, toys, chewing gum and their designs. It was a great contrast to the crazy New York family I have. But when I made it to Tokyo as an adult, I found the orderliness totally annoying!”

The Nooka Spongebob Squarepants done in collaboration with Nickelodeon and the 10th anniversary of the cartoon character Spongebob.

He spent a number of years working as an art director in corporate communications in Japan. It made perfect sense that the country should be his most successful market in Asia.

“They appreciate design and brands with a back story. They really get Nooka and I don’t have to market it there. Other parts of Asia are more challenging as they respond to established brands and don’t have that big a boutique culture.”

On the other hand, Kuala Lumpur turned out to be a pleasant surprise for Waldman.

“I know about the Twin Towers and your politics, but I don’t know about your street culture. When KL suddenly showed up on my digital map through Twitter (which I handle myself for Nooka), it was very exciting for me,” he explained.

Today, Nooka can be found in over 30 countries in museum shops and fashion boutiques like DDC lab in New York and Los Angeles, at select Nordstrom stores in the United States and Selfridges on Oxford Street in London.

“We’re not a watch store and Nooka is more often found in fashion boutiques. I thought we would get a lot of buying from the design world but surprisingly, we were totally ignored (by them). But fashion loves Nooka – we’re embraced by magazines like Vogue and Elle – and we’re always pushing boundaries.”

Apart from watches, there’s also the Nooka Strip (belt), Asset Organiser (wallet) and fragrance, called Nooka (The Distilled Future).

Waldman worked together with French nose Pierre-Constantin Guéros for the universal scent (for men and women), which bears top notes with accords of Japanese yuzu, vintage leather and pink pepper. The heart encompasses coriander, tonka and gloss paper accords, while the base is Ithaca cypress bark and musk.

“For the advertising spin, I worked on various scenarios, many of which are not safe to be written in Malaysian newspapers! I thought about stuff like, what you might imagine when you meet a sexy stranger on a spaceship, and a scent associated with that,” he jested.

And then, there’s the NookaNooka toy, an urban vinyl collector’s toy, but more importantly, it acts as a representative for the brand. Made of similar materials as other Nooka products, it also represents the brand’s innovative approach to design, pushing the limits of creativity and changing the way people think about objects.

NookaNooka is a collaboration between Waldman and toy designers Jeremy Madl and Shin Tanaka, the creator of paper ρgures inspired by the popular urban vinyl phenomenon. Madl is the mastermind behind the cult following Mad Toy Design Inc who has collaborated with clients such as Kidrobot and the NFL.

As far as Nooka design goes, Waldman tries to refresh the colours for the watch every season.

Nooka UndrCrwn, a result of a team up with apparel label Undrcrwn.

“I love grey and neutrals but I also like light garish neon colours. For fashion, watch and shoes are more important than your shirt. In New York everyone looks at your shoes,” he exclaimed.

Waldman, whose “absolute favourite thing to do” is riding his mountain bicycle, also professed a love for alternative pop and underground bands.

“I need to be surrounded by new things. I can’t live with nostalgia or old stuff, except for David Bowie. In school, I was the trendy, punk rocker, new wave kid. Definitely not geeky!”

So, what else does the “design genius” have his eye on?

“A Nooka spaceship, maybe?” he laughed. On a serious note, Waldman is looking at various projects such as a possible collaboration for a Nooka bicycle in terms of decor and other design concepts.

“The fact that people respond to my products is inspiring. It’s personal when people buy a Nooka because it’s like they’re buying a piece of me. They’re saying they like my designs and I find that very satisfying.”

Ultimately, Nooka is still a small self-financed enterprise and Waldman admits it’s been very challenging to grow the business.

“I used to have a full head of hair – this is what happened in five years of Nooka!” he laughed, revealing his almost bald pate.

“I want to make sure my employees grow and learn with me, and it’s tough. My immediate goals would be to see the brand grow and become more established. I hope that maybe 30 years from now, it can still look fresh.”

> Nooka is available at watch boutique H5 located at Bangsar Village II, Kuala Lumpur.

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