As part of London Design Festival’s green events, the Royal Festival Hall was host to The Deptford Design Challenge. Using discarded objects from Deptford Thrift Market, twenty-six international designers, including Conran & Partners, redesigned these market bargains into new and functional designs. The designers were asked to use their talents to re-work the items, creating something unique, desirable and functional; the aim being to inspire and encourage designers to think about re-using what is available before creating and entirely new product from scratch. Conran & Partners’ product studio redesignated an old acoustic guitar into an ipod dock / speaker system called “No Strings Attached”.

Guitars are for music and entertainment. It's appropriate to return this broken instrument back to its original function. Interpreting tradition in a modern manner reflects our studio style; and by cannibalising a, rather ugly, low cost stereo system the guitar can play once again; but perhaps in a way its original maker never dreamed of. Combining iPod technology and the traditional instrument brings out its inherent warm wood tone making a great impromptu boom-box – and it’s good for busking too!