HP Spectre x J. Hannah

Photography by Tyler Thomas / Myself

A few months ago HP approached me with an interesting proposition: to design a custom J. Hannah edition of their Spectre 13 laptop, which would coincide with its launch at The New York Times Luxury Convention in Versailles. 

I of course jumped at the opportunity to work with a computer as a canvas. As a starting point, I was really inspired by the concept of luxury: what that word meant in the past versus today. Consider Versailles itself— it was all about opulence, over-embellishment, and showing off your wealth…yet the notion became one of the things that contributed to her demise. In contrast, more recently luxury brands have shied away from large logos and ostentatiousness and put more of a focus on the quality of the good itself. Quality craftsmanship, thoughtful design, and practicality are the power players now. 

I try to think about those concepts when I design jewelry for my line and applied the same to my edition of the Spectre, and I worked closely with HP to see my concept come to life.  

 

I chose all-over 18k gold plating to evoke a sculptural feeling; I really wanted it to feel like a solid piece rather than just changing pieces of it here and there. 

For the details, it was accented with a one carat pavé diamond slash logo, and the keys featured a custom script inspired by the initials that are hand engraved on my signature pinky signet rings.

As if all this wasn’t already the coolest, I got to go to Versailles to see the final product in person, announcing my design alongside Tord Boontje, another artist's edition and having a private tour of the Palace of Versailles followed by a dinner in the palace. It was spectacular to say the least—still can’t believe this is real!