""What does it do?" my friend asked as we sat there staring at the chrome-pink, futuristic looking cylinder set on the table. "It's just a water bottle," I said. "It doesn't filter your water? Keep track of how much you drink?" she asked. I shrugged. "Nope, I guess it does look cool though." My friend was asking because Okapa, a brand with just one product, sells its flagship water bottle for $295."
"For context, most high-end water bottles top out around $50, or maybe $100-150 if they have fancy features like self-cleaning UV lights, built-in filters, or app connectivity to monitor your drinking habits. When a brand charges that much more than market value, it's usually for one of two reasons: either it's a luxury product meant as a status symbol, or it's solving a consumer problem no one else has cracked."
Okapa charges $295 for its flagship water bottle, a price far above typical high-end bottles priced around $50–$150. The bottle is marketed as 'luxury hydration' and paired with fashion collaborations, including a New York Fashion Week runway show. The company claims the bottle uses materials from medical and aerospace industries to enhance hygiene and durability. Okapa reports eight years of R&D, more than 10,000 prototypes, and over 70 patents worldwide to reach 'micron-level precision.' The brand emphasizes exclusivity and technical achievement. Founder Hardy Steinmann previously led marketing and sales for high-end watch brand Hublot in the USA.
Read at WIRED
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]