Industrial designs at Skip Hop

Skip Hop is venturing into a new category with the launch of a collection of accessories designed by award-winning industrial designer Scott Henderson at this month's JPMA.

"We were looking for product areas where there haven't been any contemporary design application," said Michael Diamant, co-founder of New York-based Skip Hop.

Though the company is two years old, Diamant and his wife, Ellen, are looking to make a big statement with their company and their product offerings.

They met with several design studios before choosing Scott Henderson.

"Scott has an enthusiasm for the product and understands it because he's a father, but he's also worked on products like Oxo so he understands the environment these products will live in," Diamant said.

Henderson heads the New York-based design studio Scott Henderson Inc. and also is principal and co-founder of the design collective MINT where he designs, manufacturers and distributes home accessory objects to more than 150 retailers and museums throughout the world. With more than 50 patents in the United States and Europe for projects as diverse as housewares and home accessories to consumer medical products, electronics and aircraft, his work has been widely recognized in exhibitions, awards programs and in the press.

The collection includes Splash, a circular designed bottle drying rack; Toolbox, a modern diaper caddie with a built-in handle, two removable side pockets and two drawers; and Chow, a baby food organizer that has independently rotating shelves. Each piece will retail for between $30 and $40 and will ship in August or September. They're available in red, rose or white.

"The products themselves are great looking," Diamant said. "But they'll also stand out on retail shelves because of the simplicity of the packaging."

Toolbox, left, and Splash are two of the three Skip Hop designs by Scott Henderson debuting at JPMA.