'Design Week' season is very much upon us here in Europe. As things wrap in London, we've jetted over to the slightly more sedate and astonishingly grandiose (seriously, Paris ain't got nothing) Vienna—capital of Austria—to hit the trail of Vienna Design Week, running from September 26 to October 5.

We're delighted to see the return of the awesome 'Passionswege' platform—the program in which the city's design department pair traditional manufacturing companies still surviving in the region with emerging international design talent, the partnerships sharing skills and often creating some truly inspiring objects and interventions.

First stop in Vienna this year, world -eknowned crystal manufacturer Lobmeyr—who took part in the Passionswege last year— invited the public to their showroom and workshop to see the fruits of their pairing with design duo BCXSY.

Working with the chandelier and fine crystal tableware manufacture over recent months, the young designers Boaz Cohen and Sayaka Yamamoto were inspired to create a new product offering that would bring the brand into the 21st century. Boaz and Sayaka were interested in creating a new ritual that would justify the high cost of these expensively hand made products, settling in the end on a pair of interlocking crystal tumblers inscribed with silhouettes of the new owners—perhaps, for example, newly weds. In an unusual move for such a retailer, BCXSY convinced Lobmeyr to set up a silhouette photography station in store to make the retail experience part of the ritual experience.

Of course we couldn't resist a quick nosey around the workshop—incredible to see such craftsmanship still alive in the heart of the city.