From fashion brand to a new product category.
The New Originals is an Amsterdam-based streetwear label founded in 2015 that designs “functional clothes for creatives” Deeply rooted in Amsterdam's local art, music, and nightlife scenes, the brand is famous for its signature "Think out of the Box" motto and its iconic 9-dot puzzle
The New Originals had built its world through fashion. SPACE JUNK initiated the collaboration to explore how that identity could extend into an entirely new product category.
Co-founder Eben Badu proposed a chess set.
From there, we worked together to define what a TNO chess set could be and familiar enough to remain chess, but unmistakably their own.
We explored everything from traditional to experimental chess sets, developing the board, colour palette and pieces around a shared direction: classic, with a twist. TNO's mascot Freddy became part of the piece family, with character sketches developed by their in-house creative Wessel.
SPACE JUNK turned the ideas and contributions into a finished product, handling design, 3D modeling, prototyping, refinement, and production.
THEN IT GOT BIGGER.
The New Originals x OSCAM - XXL SET
The collaboration between TNO and Space Junk caught the attention of OSCAM, Open Space Contemporary Art Museum, who saw the potential for something bigger. Their interest allowed us to transform the project from a tabletop product into an opportunity to create an XXL chess set.
SPACE JUNK developed the large-scale concept, defining how the original pieces would translate to a new scale. We worked closely with production partners and led the design through realisation.
Beyond the Original Idea
The project continued to find new contexts,
from university exhibition to professional chess tournament to museum.
STEDELIJK MUSEUM
Photo: Rachel Ecclestone
TATA STEEL CHESS TOURNAMENT
Photos: Freshmen Media
NIGHT OF CHESS
Directed by Segraphy
What began as an experiment became The New Originals' first branded product outside fashion. The chess set has since grown through new colorways, sold-out limited editions and ongoing TNO chess tournaments where the product continues to bring the brand and its community together.
The New Originals × SPACE JUNK
Concept development · Creative direction · Product design · Design development · 3D development · Prototyping · Large-scale development · Production direction · Partner coordination