LDVF x Off-White
Function: My prototype is a sleek, fashionable ring that also doubles as a lighter. Thing ring can be layered with others of your choice, or worn alone as a statement piece. You can use this prototype to light campfires, start up the barbecues or even help the candle glow. In extreme conditions, these tiny lighters can be used to build fires to keep you warm in cold, harsh climates. Being that they are plasma based, they are also more environmentally friendly. And of course, if you would like to light a cigarette like a french model running light to her next fashion show, so be it. The lighter will also be a plasma lighter. In order to keep the sleek and small design of the ring while still producing a fire/ something to cause fires, I have decided to go with using plasma. For one, Unlike their butane brethren, plasma lighters don't rely on gas to create a flame. Using plasma lighters rather than traditional butane lighters is the greenest way to get an instant spark and finally, plasma lighters will keep you from piling up heaps of plastic disposable ones that will likely just sit in a landfill.
Rings by: Luv AJ and Mejuri
Aesthetic: When it comes to the color scheme, I want to keep it simple. Just either gold and silver. These colors emulates high fashion without being too flashy, but also keeps the simplicity of what it’s supposed to be used for, which is lighting things. A lot of celebrities who rock jewelry like the one listed above also really like these brands. Mostly young models and artists like, Bella Hadid, Travis Scott, A$AP Rocky. A lot of these celebrities are also big fans of the fashion brand Off-White by Virgil Abloh. By designing this ring, which through its usage instead of other lighters could save the environment (less gas emissions/throwing out the plastic). Celebrities sponsoring this ring can help send a message of saving the planet through fashion. I want whoever is wearing this ring to feel like they are sleek and cool like the celebrities who also rock them, but are also aware of how they are helping the environment. Although a lot of people today are extremely into saving the environment, the aesthetic that often comes with the environmental friendly habits is not always appealing. The use of this ring can change that.
Materials: The LDVF x Off-White rings will be made out of copper. I was inspired by the classic, expensive and sleek design of the zippo lighter. Zippo's are known to be made out of brass and have also gained popularity as “windproof” lighters, are able to stay lit in harsh weather, due to the design of the windscreen and adequate rate of fuel delivery. Not only does the solid brass help with the function of the ring, the gold and or silver (depending on the acid bath) finish will help with the ring’s sleek and high end aesthetic. Plasma will also be used as a way to create the spark of the ring.
Research: More about Plasma lighters --> high-voltage electrical current passes between two nodes to create an arc of highly charged plasma, The plasma creates heat that, in turn, lights the object in question from a wick, to a cigarette, to a piece of paper. They’re also rechargeable, so you won’t have to constantly buy new ones unlike when lighters run out of gas. The innerds of an arc lighter (a PCB (printed circuit board) include a diode, a screw, transistor, capacitor, a resistor, a connector block and a transformer) There are small DIY kits that people can buy online with these materials and make their own mini plasma lighter. They’re all super small materials and super easy to work with so I’m thinking they could easily fit into the ring to great the plasma flame.
