PITAKA x anothermountainman: redwhiteblue Designer Case for iPhone 15 Lineup

red-white-blue, created by PITAKA and creator anothermountainman (Stanley Wong), is our first co-branding designer case. 

The co-branding project was initiated in mid-2023. What took it so long? And what does red-white-blue mean? We’d like to begin the story by answering: why now?

Weaving Tech Upgraded

Weaving is the way PITAKA deals with its signature – aramid fiber. We have turned the high-tech material into durable and beautiful cases through weaving for about a decade. 

In 2021, PITAKA developed Fusion Weaving, a new way to weave aramid fiber, bringing more possibilities to case design without compromising the aesthetics and characteristics of the material. 2023 is the year we began to go all out to take aramid fiber cases to the next level. We launched the Weaving+ project to showcase our exploration of material technologies and design ideas. For every Weaving+ phone case created, we encountered different challenges. Thus, our technique was enhanced.

And the time just came after all those attempts. We were ready for new challenges, something bigger.

The Artist Who Knows Weaving

Who should we collab with? For us, the decision was a complete no-brainer. 

The first name that popped into our head was “anothermountainman” when we thought of “weaving”. James told us that he heard of anothermountainman many years ago and he appreciated how the artist uses redwhiteblue, the everyday element, to tell stories and spirits representing Hong Kong.

Anothermountainman, also known as Stanley Wong, born in Hong Kong, is an artist, photographer and designer. He also claimed to be a visual communicator. 

He often walked along with his camera in Hong Kong, focusing on social issues and daily life. In those streets and corners of Hong Kong, he found a lot of redwhiteblue elements. The tri-color woven canvas was seen everywhere around his city. People used it as roof boards to shield against sunlight and rain and to cover construction sites. The most common form comes in woven bags – cheap, light, tough, and water-resistant. 

credit: tahusa@Instagram

“redwhiteblue has infinite possibilities.” 

Starting in 2001, he infused the redwhiteblue woven nylon elements into his designs, giving the modest material new looks and meanings. His redwhiteblue series was then presented at the 51st Venice Biennale in 2005, bringing him international attention.

Simplicity and Tenacity of Woven redwhiteblue

Not long after, redwhiteblue was seen on those fancy fashion runways in Paris. Big names like Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton, and Celine came up with redwhiteblue-styled bags or apparel made with different materials. redwhiteblue has become a symbol of a harmonious blend of trends and history, fashion and life. 

Back in the 1990s, redwhiteblue was just some “cheap and rustic” woven bags. No one paid much attention to it. But anothermountainman saw the simplicity and tenacity of the daily item. It came from everyday life, used by ordinary people to carry or protect their things. And it was indeed durable enough to withstand a series of deconstructions, restructurings, and assemblies. 

The redwhiteblue series has given anothermountainman a channel to showcase to the world the “positive spirit” of Hong Kong, his affection for his birthplace, and his life philosophy. 

And that’s what PITAKA’s been trying to do these years. We provide quality accessories made from premium high-tech materials and use modern art as inspiration to tell and record the spirit and culture we advocate. 

Weaving Together

redwhiteblue can be anything. It has been applied to posters, clothing, furniture, sculptures and even buildings. And why not phone cases?

We reached out to anothermountainman. He was not interested in the first place. Well, it’s never easy to impress a true artist. We knew his works but he may not know ours. So we prepared a presentation and brought some phone cases over to show the artist what we could do with our advanced weaving tech and material. 

After learning that we wove our case designs instead of printing or stamping them, anothermountainman nodded. “Weaving from zero to one is difficult. It requires tremendous patience. And you choose to weave threads after threads.”

Weaving is his common way of creating and the fundamental characteristic of redwhiteblue, his signature visual icon. Our unwavering pursuit of weaving craftsmanship has earned us this precious opportunity. 

Weaving Takes Time

You may think it’s easy for us to create a redwhiteblue case as we’ve delivered cases of various colors. True, we’ve had cases of red and blue. But white? Never. Even though quite a lot of customers have been asking for white aramid fiber cases. 

We can dye aramid fiber in white, but it doesn’t hold color well and is susceptible to color change. There’s no way to stop white fabrics, be it aramid fiber or plastic, from turning yellow. Therefore, what we need to do is to prolong the time that the white fibers in our case stay white. 

Easier said than done.

We must find the perfect white degree and its portion of all aramid fiber threads and maintain the precise arrangement of all fibers under high pressure and high temperature.

We’ve “wasted” a lot of time, energy, and resources. But, like James said, “That’s how to create a great work. It requires a lot of wasting.” 

Additionally, apart from the external color or pattern on the case, we had to think about the color on the inside to match that on the outside. Using the common black and grey twill would have been easier, but it would have compromised the overall aesthetics of the case. Why do we even care about the interior of the case, given that it will be covered by the phone? Some people may wonder. Because what we’re making is not just a phone case; it’s also a piece of art.  

That’s why it took so long for the redwhiteblue case to see the light of day.

Introducing redwhiteblue MagEZ Case 4 for iPhone 15 Series

The redwhiteblue case series comes in two designs or colors, one with red as the primary color and the other with blue. 

Red, white and blue stripes spread vertically or horizontally in a plaid design. For anothermountainman, those horizontal lines represent the breadth of mind and vertical lines mean the depth. As time goes by, as we live day by day, we weave the depth and broaden the width of our life. So live everyday to the fullest; live every minute of it. C'est la vie.

That’s the spirit we want to covey through the redwhiteblue case and through weaving in large.

Not only does the case look great, it gives you an unparalleled experience with your phone. Crafted from aramid fiber and other composites, the redwhiteblue case is light yet durable. And it boasts a tactile texture that feels smooth and comfortable but not slippery thanks to meticulous weaving and special painting. To learn more about the product, go to: xxx

Wrapping Up

The redwhiteblue case is another innovation from PITAKA, a new exploration of weaving aramid fiber. Through weaving, we create the extraordinary in ordinary life. We regard the development of the brand as a large-scale weaving process, where time and choices are intertwined into a colorful picture. In our everyday weaving, we are creating the future.