By Sarah Falson

UK, Slough: According to a UK gadget website, LG Electronics has announced a partnership with fashion design label, Prada, and will launch a co-branded mobile phone in Europe and Asia in 2007.

According to the report, the two companies have “jointly explored and developed all aspects” of the phone, including its exterior design and packaging, software, user interface and music.

The phone will feature a touch-sensitive control pad like the company’s KG800 Chocolate phone in Australia, which pioneered the design back in May when it launched as the first model in LG’s ‘Black Label Series’.

When the Chocolate was launched, accompanied by an advertising campaign with the tagline: “makes everything else look old fashioned”, LG heralded its unique design as key to its success, presumably setting the roadmap for more design-oriented mobile phones in the future.

“The Chocolate phone was developed representing LG’s firm belief that technology is nothing without design,” said LG marketing manager – telecommunications, Carli Wilson, in May.

“We can now see that consumers are choosing handsets that reflect their personality, style and attitude rather than simply choosing a handset with the latest feature, as was the case only a few years ago.”

Other mobile phone manufacturer and couture-designer tie-ins include Motorola’s Dolce and Gabbana D&G V3i, gold-coloured Motorazr. But it doesn’t stop with the handsets – Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci and Hermes International have all rolled out mobile phone straps with dangling charms, sporting the designer-logos.

No plans have been announced for the LG/Prada phone’s launch in Australia.