REFRAMING SOUND: A CONVERSATION WITH TRANSPARENT

At the intersection of timeless design and future-conscious technology, Transparent has carved a unique identity in the world of audio. With roots in Sweden and a vision that transcends trends, the brand is known for its sculptural speakers, transparent enclosures, and a strong commitment to modularity and sustainability. In essence, they don’t just make speakers — they create objects of meaning.

During Milan Design Week 2025, Transparent joined forces with iconic concept store Antonia to present Musicautomat — a striking installation inviting visitors to reconnect with the physical and emotional experience of vinyl. Designed to slow things down in a hyper-digital world, Musicautomat offered a moment of stillness, ritual and intimacy.

In this conversation, the founders of Transparent reflect on their origins, values, and the emotional power of analog sound. They also share insights into their cross-industry collaborations and how they continue to blur the lines between technology, design and art.

To begin, could you tell us how Transparent was born and what core values have shaped its identity since the very beginning?

Transparent was born out of an ambition to challenge many of the bad habits in the tech and audio categories. From the beginning, we’ve crafted objects that are as much timeless design pieces as they are high-quality sound systems. Designed according to our modular design philosophy, our products can evolve over time instead of becoming obsolete. Too many tech products today turn into waste far too quickly. We want to bring back a sense of craftsmanship and create equipment that can be passed down through generations.

Your recent collaboration with Antonia for Milan Design Week led to the creation of Musicautomat. How did the collaboration come about, and what excited you most about creating an installation for Milan Design Week?

We share many values with Antonia, especially a deep love for music. A great piece of music can shut out the world and place you in your own little bubble. With Musicautomat, we wanted to give people a chance to experience and rediscover the beauty of vinyl records. Antonia is a wonderful space for discovering beautiful objects. We showcase a large part of our collection there, and Musicautomat was a way to offer visitors a special experience with our turntable during Design Week.

In an era dominated by digital, Musicautomat invites audiences to rediscover the emotional experience of analog sound. How do you think that kind of experience resonates with people today?

If you dive deep into what we do as a brand, you'll find that many of our ideas revolve around the concept of time. We bring back classic components and place them in a modern context. We've built products that have built-in modular capacity to be upgraded over time instead of becoming outdated. In this installation, we offer people perhaps the best way to cheat time — by being in the moment. Many people are drawn to vinyl records because of this quality. The ritual, and the analog nature of vinyl, brings people closer to what truly matters: the music.

Transparent’s philosophy focuses on longevity, circularity, and transparency — both in form and function. How do these values influence your approach to creativity and product development?

These values permeate everything we do. Our design philosophy guides both how we conceive new ideas and how we engineer the modular construction of each product. We believe that a smart enough design can transcend both technology and trends.

You’ve collaborated with a range of creative industries, from fashion to art. What do these cross-disciplinary connections bring to your brand, and how do they help expand the meaning of ‘audio design’?

We have always been curious to explore the boundaries of what a tech object can be. Of course it can be a design object, and our sculptural collection pushes that boundary even further in my opinion. It is very natural for us to work across industries. Being able to work with some of the leading brands in fashion and design has offered us ways to reach a new platform of fans, but it has also been very inspiring for us as a team — to keep pushing boundaries and find out what’s beyond.