While smartphones, tablets, and ultra-portable laptops have made it possible to work anywhere and everywhere, some privacy has been lost in the process. La Fonction No.1, a briefcase which transforms into a miniature mobile cubicle, is one attempt to bring an element of privacy back to the new work-on-the-go ethic.
La Fonction No. 1 is, as its name suggests, the first product in the La Fonction range by piKs design. It was inspired by the pioneers in photography who used to have to hide themselves away as they worked to protect the photographic plate from being exposed to any additional light. After two years and a dozen prototypes for La Fonction No. 1 offers a similar cocoon-like environment.
Citing a "rise in nomadism and digital," La Fonction claims that No. 1 reinvents the traveling office. La Fonction further suggests that No. 1 is "to the 2010s what the briefcase was to the 1980s." Which is a bold claim, but one backed up by the methodology behind the design.
La Fonction No. 1 is a functional satchel crafted from fine leather with an Italian cotton canvas interior. In its carriable form it's capable of holding a laptop (with anything up to a 15-inch screen), as well as other tools needed for working on the move. When it comes time to shut the world away and get down to some serious work, La Fonction No. 1 folds out to form a mobile workstation. This means the screen is protected from reflections, as well as any prying eyes that happen to be lurking.
At €840 (US$1,130) La Fonction No. 1 is expensive, but it's suitable for either traveling or working in an open plan office, where privacy is hard to come by.
Source: La Fonction
