Alessi MG Stove Top Kettle 3909 Virgil Abloh Limited Edition – limited 9999 pieces.

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Alessi has revealed its second posthumous collaboration with Virgil Abloh in the form of a reinterpretation of one of the brand’s most iconic pieces – the 9093 kettle.

For the updated version, Abloh focused on these defining features and updated them according to his own concept. Following his death, the polymath’s vision was carried through by design studio Alaska Alaska, which described the new version as having “global resonance”. The light blue and burgundy handle has been swapped out for a vibrant purple, while Graves’ whistling bird has been changed for a slam-dunking basketball player. “This design gesture follows aspects of Virgil’s approach specific to referencing different frames of reference often overlooked within the established design culture,” adds Alaska Alaska.

The new design comes hot off the heels of Alessi’s first collaboration with Abloh – the Brutalist cutlery set, released during this year’s Salone del Mobile. It also marks the first time that the brand has reinterpreted one of its own icons. “Virgil wanted to re-interpret some of Alessi’s icons, [and we thought] to start with the Graves kettle would be the best way,” says Alberto Alessi, the company’s president. “This was because Virgil’s desire to create ‘popular’ products was similar to the dream Michael Graves had when he told me in the 1980s that his aim was ‘to create a new American design’.”

With a new design comes a new name, and while Graves’ model is named 9093, Abloh’s has taken on the moniker of 3909. The limited-edition piece will be released in a run of 9,999 pieces

The 3909 kettle mixes different cultural aspects: the phenomenon of basketball and its multicultural imagery, an integral part of Abloh’s personal history, with the world of design and its codified references. The whistle is completely redesigned, taking the form of a basketball player who crushes with power to the basket, while the colours of the handle and the knob are lit with an intense purple.