Your sound amplifier is not really as cool as this one. No, it is not manufactured with steel but it has no requirement for electricity. Pretty sleek design, too!
The Loudbasstard is a majestic piece of all-natural sound speaker amplifier that is tailor-fit for smartphones and tablets. It is made with bamboo and rattan, organically treated and cured. Each piece, available in 8 colors, is a product of the Cebuano handcraftsmanship – being the entire thing hand-cut, hand-dyed, and hand-packaged by locals in Cebu in the central Philippines.
Two entrepreneurs had produced this device thanks to their mothers who were very close friends. Filipino-Japanese Koh Onozawa, with a family background in architecture, merged with Franz Ignacio when they met in Cebu. Ignacio, who was working in New York for Christie’s, left his job just as he found solace in forming a local business.
Both were convinced that they are destined to become businessmen in their home country, so they brainstormed for ideas and did intensive research.
Only to have Koh’s French girlfriend give them the idea of a sound amplifier out of an experience – she took her phone out, played music, and let it sit inside a glass cup to amplify the sound. Voila!
Coincidentally, Ignacio’s family is involved in the furniture and bamboo business. They have considered other materials for Loudbasstard but settled with bamboo due to its simplicity, appearance, and workability.
They got help from credit design mentors and fellow Cebuanos, Vito Selma and Kenneth Cobonpue, for helping them get their product off the ground.
But why the name?
Koh told that when they were on a tip to the mountains, they were so hyped driving down the slopes. And one time he said, “This is going to be such a loud bastard.” A light bulb moment for the two. They agreed to keep the name and added an ‘s’ to make the brand music-oriented.
Now the brand has already achieved an award. It is a 2016 Spot Design Winner in Hong Kong.
Source: Choose Philippines
