“The mountains are calling and I must go,” is the famous quote driving the philosophy of Zeal Optics, a quickly up and coming boutique eye-wear company based out of Boulder, Colorado. As a company driven by the need for exploration, the journey and meaning in what they produce, 1 Friday’s approach to design was a logical choice for the collaboration. The project was born out of a run-down find in the desert Southwest and the desire to create a mobile showroom / office / event center from this salvaged 1972 Airstream Safari trailer. We like to think of Explorer II as a “Swiss Army Knife on Wheels” due to the multi-use of every wall and operable maple panel in the design. Completed in just over three months, I had the opportunity to grab Mike Filander of ZEAL and my ever supportive Jennifer while the trailer was en route to California for a quick documentation of our collaborative design effort. Should the difficult to miss aluminum chassis roll into a town near you, check it out, as it’s one of the more playful showrooms you’ll encounter (It’s also our understanding the beverage center is always well stocked in addition!).
