Samsung has signed an agreement with fashion designer Andre Kim for designs of the Zipel and Hauzen brand of home appliances, according to The Korea Times. The company will also use the designer’s name in a new lineup of products that will be on the market late in 2006. LG Electronics has stated that it will be working with Tricia Guild, a British interior designer on high-end washing machines.
According to The Korea Times, the companies are using the partnerships with the designers to give consumers a premium brand, treating the washer status as a collector’s item. The companies have already worked with various Korean and foreign artists on mobile phones and laptops. Samsung worked with Anna Sui on its mobile phones, and LG collaborated with Roberto Cavalli for its phones in Europe. Home appliances are new fields for both firms to work on with fashion designers.