[A/S] Airstream In The News

[Jack Canavera <jackcanavera@xxxxxxxxx>]

Article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on May 31st.


Airstream has trendy rebirth 
By LAURA THOMAS 
San Francisco Chronicle 
05/31/2003 

SAN FRANCISCO 


THE TRAVEL trailer is chic, and if it's an Airstream,
it's all the rage. 



The Airstream, with its unique aerodynamic curves and
historic modern interiors, is being embraced by the
young urban design crowd. Their enthusiasm has not
gone unnoticed by Thor Industries, which now owns
Airstream and last year trotted out the new
International CCD model with an interior by San
Francisco designer Christopher Deam. 

Allison Arieff, editor-in-chief at Dwell magazine, was
an early convert. When she and partner Bryan Burkhart
attended an international Air- 
stream rally in 1998, "we were the youngest people by
40 years." 

Since then, vintage Air- 
streams are being snapped up by people bent on
restoring them and hitting the road or using them as
guesthouses or even as their main address. 

The appeal, Arieff said, has "an exotic slumming
aspect" to it. But for many, it's still the romance of
the open road and a time when family vacations in the
outdoors were a part of the American fabric. 

The Airstream was invented by Wally Byam, a 1920s
entrepreneur who published do-it-yourself magazines.
One carried an article with plans for building a
trailer that drew heavy criticism from readers. Byam
tried out the plans, agreed with the readers and then
set out to design his own trailer. The results were
well-received, and he started manufacturing during an
explosion of interest in travel trailers that went
from the late 1920s well into the Depression. 

The Airstream legend began with the Clipper,
introduced in 1936 with a riveted aluminum body that
imitated aircraft construction. It could sleep four,
carried its own water supply and had electric lights.
Despite the cost - $1,200 - the orders poured in. 

Forced to close shop during World War II, Byam went to
work for the aircraft industry, where he learned more
about aluminum fabrication. Later, he applied what he
learned to create a trailer that was light, rugged,
comfortable and with an interior that mimicked the
aerodynamic styling of the exterior. 

As the interest in modern design waned in the 1970s,
so did the overall design of the Air- 
stream. It became boxier, and its interiors copied the
wood paneling, carpeting and heavy upholstery theme of
other popular travel trailers. 

Today's enthusiasts often shun those later models. New
York product designer Jim Huff, who first nudged Thor
Industries to consider revamping the interior, is one
of many enamored of the earlier designs. 

"I go back to Buckminster Fuller and his interest in
mobility and mobile architecture and things that were
streamlined. He owned an Airstream, too." 

Rebuffed by Thor, he turned to laminate manufacturer
Wilsonart to collaborate on designing a new interior.
Deam was selected to do the prototype, and it was
introduced at the International Contemporary Furniture
Fair in 2000. 

"When Airstream saw it, a light bulb went off," said
Tim Champ, the new director of marketing and brand
development for Airstream. "They said, 'We need to
change.'" 



A 27-year-old purchased the first 22-foot
International CCD trailer in 2002 for $38,000. Next
month, Airstream will unveil five new trailer lengths
in the series for 2004, starting with the 16-foot
Bambi, which "people can't keep their hands off," says
Champ. 

They all feature the Deam interior with its exposed
aluminum walls, clean lines, geometric furniture and
sleek laminated surfaces in bold colors. To appeal to
a young crowd, Airstream added flat-panel televisions,
modern galley tops and Internet hookups.


=====
Jack Canavera
STL. Mo.
'01 Safari 27'
WBCCI 5024