An extension of beauty: Marek Reichman of Aston Martin discusses the AM37

by Carla Anselmi

Marek Reichman is Chief Creative Officer and Design Director of Aston Martin and has been involved in his, and the brand’s, first ever power boat project, the AM37. When asked how it was to shift from cars to boats he simply replies: “Primarily I’m a designer so any product it’s interesting for me, obviously cars are my passion, they are very emotive. Apart from designing your own house I believe that the other most emotive thing to design is a power boat. They are beautiful objects, they give a sensation of freedom, power, speed elegance.
That was my first feeling”. Reichman explains that the idea: “Comes from a collaboration with Quintessence thinking about expanding the world, the art of Aston Martin living. Because we are a luxury brand and we want to provide our customers with products in different fields. And I think there’s a big synergy between the road and the sea. A yacht is a natural extension of what an Aston Martin is, because of the sensation of luxury, ownership, of power, of elegance and enjoyment in life.” And for this purpose, the key points of the project are clear. “I think that from a designers’ perspective the most important point is to produce something that is instantly recognisable, very different from the competition but still very much Aston Martin.
That’s why it was key to work with the best naval architects, the right company to produce the best quality. And to use technology and advanced engineering. Without technology a car or a boat would be just a static sculpture. Also we wanted to produce something that had an unusual flavour and had a beautiful balance on the water. At Aston Martin we use three words, power, beauty and soul. ” One of the most pronounced words in modern design is crossover as Reichman acknowledges. “What a designer does is thinking of a concept and then create an object. Architecture is not just a building, it is people living in it. For me the knowledge of spatial awareness is key for an architect, whether he designs houses or boats.
The relationship with the materials is also important, the touch, the smell, comfort, sportiness, the interior designer needs to convey a message of who you are and what you do. The crossover is there in everything that we do.” He admits that the car sector is undergoing huge changes today but this is everything but a limit. “Design in general is about change, a mechanism to create something new, desirable, more innovative, something that solves the problems. It should be change for the better, for efficiency, for energy saving, for the environment.” That is why his primary source of inspiration is nature: “Because it has had millions of years to come with some incredible solutions for structures, for materials, efficiency, regeneration, beauty, shape. Nature always provides an answer.”
The British designer may be new to naval architecture but his relationship with boats goes back a long time. “I’ve spent ten years in California, and now I live on a river, I still sail and I enjoy going on boats. I love the water.” And, there is a little bit of Italian style in Reichman’s life too, as he says that the best product ever designed is the Bialetti coffee maker machine.