We stopped by LG’s launch of the new LG Signature brand, an event featuring four new LG products.Β
LG, the Korean mega-brand responsible from everything from washers and dryers to TVs put on a sufficiently over-the-top show for the launch of its new brand, LG Signature. The event, held in the center of the creative universe (Rockefeller Center’s) in the center of the world (NYC has no problem accepting this title), was a lobster on ice was a welcomed approach to engaging with food, but not without plenty of passed hors d’oeuvres. The open bar with the backdrop of the rink made perfect sense. LG’s launch of the LG Signature brand was an event that felt like the most important thing of the week. A large box, centered in the promenade where the iconic Rockefeller tree is usually to be found was covered in black fabric.Β
Vice president of US Marketing for LG presented a host of experts who demonstrated their own signature. This featured fashion designer Phillip Lim, who detailed how the washer developed by LG made perfect sense for him. It also featured two-Michelin star chef Jacqueline Crenn, who gave a lively introduction to the refrigerator developed for LG Signature. Finally, guests saw an expert tap dancer perform, showing just how dynamic LG Signature’s line is.Β
Finally, after a brief introduction by the CEO of LG USA, guests had the opportunity to see what was behind – and inside- the black box. A truly “transparent” box, with digital screens on all sides screening the opposite side. It was a truly dynamic art piece by all accounts before becoming a showroom within to display the new LG Signature line: a refrigerator in sleek stainless steel and with a window which responds to a knock with an illuminated interior. Also, the refrigerator features handsfree automatic opening, activated by the wave of a foot.Β
The LG air purifier is an all new product, a truly substantial and high-powered device with 360-degree output and a filter that lasts 10 (!) years. The elegant design could permit it to be on display, which we’d advise. The settings are fully adjustable permitting use as you see fit. Signature indeed.Β
The LG signature line also features a stunning ultra-thin OLED television, one of the most beautiful pieces of industrial design to be released in recent memory. The screen is mounted on glass panel measured in millimeters of thickness, the brilliant OLED screen is crisp and vivid. The base is a simple full-width sound bar and low back, styled in metal and black. It’s an exercise in absolute minimalist design bliss.Β
Finally, the LG signature collection features the two-load washer, which permits two individual loads to run simultaneously. Again, designed in style and elegance, it’s as the CEO put it, “a signature marriage of form and function.”Β
With the launch of LG Signature, LG faces steep competition. Paying a premium for durable goods (things that are not typically purchased early) is not an easy sell but LG’s attempt is better than many. The diverse range of products featured in the LG Signature line is a subtle hint in its own right that the brand has a lot of potential going forward and consumers can cautiously expect more in the line. While brands like VIking and Liebherr have always been premium brands, LG is the first mass-market corporation to venture into products marketed to premium buyers.
Β As we sipped on Jacqueline Crenn’s signature “Bijou” cocktail, we thought everyone could always do for a little more luxury in their lives. LG’s attempt to glamorize durables is certainly ambitious and time well tell if it’s a signature that can be legible to consumers.Β
