Hello Kitty, Pokémon, Disney or Harry Potter. These are some of the collaborations that the premium kitchenware brand Le Creuset has launched over the last few years, bringing its brand closer to the territory of entertainment and seeking to connect with new consumer segments through large cultural franchises. All of them are now joined by Star Trek, the emblematic science fiction series that this year celebrates its 60th anniversary; in a cobranding that has materialized in a collection of kitchen utensils that has even traveled to the stratosphere.

The brand has partnered with Paramount Products & Experiences, the product and experience development division of Paramount Global, to create a series of limited edition products inspired by some of the most recognizable elements of the narrative and creative universe of television production, released in 1966 and which continues to be a cultural reference to this day. And all of this is combined with Le Creuset craftsmanship, design and performance.

As Le Creuset explains in a statement, the collaboration is born from a common philosophy around imagination, curiosity and the spirit of discovery. “A spirit that Le Creuset has shared for more than a century, inviting chefs around the world to explore new flavors, techniques and traditions through cooking.“, they explain from the brand.

The collection transfers the most prominent symbols of Star Trek to the shapes, designs and details of the kitchen materials, giving rise to a proposal that, according to Le Creuset, is designed for both fans of the saga and lovers of design and cooking.
It includes everything from saucepans, with knobs inspired by ships from fiction, such as the legendary starship USS Enterprise NCC-1701; to a container inspired by the Galileo ferry or “Mini cocottes” based on the characters of the series. It also offers cups, spoon rests, oven gloves or a grater.

The launch of the collection

To communicate this, Le Creuset has proposed a strategy that aligns on a narrative level with the world of the series, and in this sense, it has made history by sending the main product of the collection, the Enterprise casserole with Starfleet Delta Knob, into the stratosphere. This is the first time that one of the brand’s products travels to space.

He has collaborated with Sent Into Space, a company dedicated to launching commercial products into the stratosphere, and has launched the saucepan into the stratosphere from Ashbourne, England. As it was a utensil made of cast iron, a special launch was carried out in which the team was forced to lighten the total weight of the ship to compensate for the weight of the saucepan. As explained by the company, it was suspended directly from the flight structure and integrated the on-board computer, tracking systems and batteries in a custom-made capsule located on top.

Thus, the saucepan ascended thanks to a hydrogen balloon until it reached a maximum altitude of 33.5 km above the Earth’s surface, and remained in the stratosphere for 1 hour, 19 minutes and 4 seconds, enduring temperatures of up to -63.4 °C. After a total flight time of 2 hours, 17 minutes and 36 seconds, the Enterprise returned safely to Earth by parachute, landing softly in Lincolnshire.

Original post from Le Creuset UK on Instagram

Additionally, the brand is also encouraging its followers to purchase the collection and put it to use by sharing a series of special recipes made with the Star Trek-inspired pieces. Thus, he has shown how to make a tiramisu with the Galielo container, or some “Galaxy Swirl Marble Cakes” in the “mini cocottes”.

The Le Creuset x Star Trek collection is available for a limited time at Le Creuset Signature Boutiques, and in the brand’s online store, with prices between 36 and 475 euros.