A very special mega-yacht recently paid a visit to the Danish harbour Langelinie (near the Little Mermaid). The Sigma yacht, simply named "A" after the Russian billionaire and owner Andrey Melnichenko´s wife, Alexandra, looks nothing like a normal yacht.

When approaching the yacht from a distance you are not quite sure what you are looking at. Is it a house? Is it a plane? This is the refreshing thing about Philippe Starck's products, whether it is yachts, kitchen utilities, motorbikes or any other product from his hand. He really reinterprets and reshapes any product.

Starck has a very different design approach, compared to Danish design. I once saw an interview with Starck in which he was doodling while being interviewed. When asked what he was drawing on the paper, he simply answered: "Don't know. Maybe it´s an ashtray. Maybe it´s a skyscraper". He´s wonderfully unconventional and works nothing like a functionalist, much different from our perspective of creating an Instrument or a watch.

The French has a 500-year long understanding of form and design. No wonder the best fashion originates from France, as the French design approach is more about the look and less about the function.

I consider Starck as one of the biggest design icons ever and am a huge fan of his creativity. The way he manages to put a different story into every product that leaves his hand is truly fascinating. The three first photos of "A" here were shot by a follow Dane, and Linde Werdelin Hard Black owner, Martin Geisler.

M. Linde