By Patrick Avenell
Smeg has achieved the seemingly impossible, merging clothing and refrigeration into a single product. The new FAB28RDB is a fully functional 1950s style refrigerator with a denim coating – suffice to say this is a world first.
Officially unveiled in Milan overnight, Current.com.au had the chance to see, touch and feel this remarkable creation at Smeg’s cooking factory in Guastalla, in northern Italy.
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The concept for the new FAB denim fridge, for which there will be an original production run of only 500 units, was dreamed up by Lapo Elkann, an enigmatic and visionary member of the Agnelli family, owners of the Fiat automobile company and Juventus Football Club. Elkann told Smeg CEO Vittorio Bertazzoni about this idea, with the latter using his family company’s rich heritage to make this admittedly bizarre appliance a reality.
According to Smeg sources, 390 of the 500 pieces have already received commitments to purchase, with a sizable number heading to Australia.
The denim on the FAB28DRB is coated with a plasma to protect it from dirt, grime and splashes; while the internal mechanics of the fridge mirror that of previously released models.
This is one refrigerator that really needs to be touched to believed: it truly is a denim coating, with a seam stitched into it, so it looks and feels exactly like a pair of jeans.
Smeg sources could not confirm if a skinny jeans version is in production for the Gen Y market.
The new Smeg FAB28RDB with a denim coat.
A look at the fridge from behind.
The model we saw was #19 of 500 units.