Our Lead Principal Designer at SKINARMA, Darren, gets candid about cyberpunk fever, the death of boring accessories, and why function finally got its glow-up.
The Confession Booth
We’re not gonna lie. When our Lead Principal Designer, Darren, talks about the Machine56 collaboration, there’s a glint in his eye that suggests he’s been waiting years for this conversation.
“Both brands share similar design language, with a focus on combining aesthetics with functionality,” he explains, but that clinical description barely scratches the surface of what actually happened here.
The truth is simpler and more radical: we got tired of boring accessories. Really tired.
Reading the Cultural Moment
Walk through any major city today and count how many people are carrying identical black rectangles in identical black cases. The math gets depressing quickly. Somewhere along the way, functional became synonymous with forgettable. Protection meant sacrificing personality. We decided that was ridiculous.
Machine56 understood this frustration instinctively. Their founder Yoga had been building Indonesia’s techwear scene around the idea that everyday gear could look like it belonged in a cyberpunk movie. When we finally connected, the conversation felt less like a business meeting and more like finding a long-lost creative family.
“It was quite a natural process for us,” Darren reflects on those early discussions. The alignment ran deeper than shared aesthetics. Both brands had been independently questioning why mobile accessories looked so apologetic, why protection had to mean hiding, why functional couldn’t also be fearless.
“So the process was really about combining our expertise to reimagine everyday essentials in a new way that is both functional and futuristic.”
The Design Laboratory
Working with Machine56 meant cranking our design philosophy to eleven. We’ve always believed protection should have personality, but this collaboration pushed us into uncharted territory: cases that look like they belong in a mech suit, accessories that double as conversation starters, gear that makes minimalism feel bashful.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max case became our manifesto. We maintained every protection standard users expect from us while wrapping it in Machine56’s cyber-mech styling. Eight-foot drop protection hidden inside an exoskeleton that looks like it could survive the robot apocalypse. “We aimed to still keep it extremely protective with all the functional features but dress it up completely differently with the collab design,” Darren shares.
The MECHA AirPods Pro 2 case followed similar logic. Layered hybrid shell construction meets cyberpunk visual language. The result looks nothing like traditional audio protection, but delivers everything our protection standards demand.
Beyond Surface Level
The real breakthrough came with pieces like the MIRAGE card holder. Here’s an everyday object most people never think about, reimagined with a quick-release side lever and grip-stand functionality. Suddenly, something mundane becomes genuinely useful and visually striking.
“If you look closely at each product, you’ll be able to see very clearly how each brand’s design elements show up and blend together,” Darren notes. This integration runs deeper than co-branded logos or color matching. Every functional detail serves both brands’ design philosophy.
The universal lanyard exemplifies this approach. What could have been a basic strap became a 2.54cm wide utility system with loops for accessories and universal phone compatibility. Form follows function, but function gets to look fantastic.
The Community Factor
During development, we kept returning to one question: who are we designing for? The answer became crystal clear during our August showcase. These pieces attracted artists, sneaker enthusiasts, and design innovators because they recognize authenticity when they see it.
“I hope they can see beyond just the products and feel like they’re part of a community that dares to be bold and expresses itself through design,” Darren says. This community aspect drives every decision we make, from protection standards to aesthetic choices.
The collection speaks to people who understand that their gear should reflect their digital lives, their creative ambitions, and their refusal to settle for ordinary. These are users who appreciate that their phone case can protect their device while expressing their personal style.
Building Tomorrow’s Standards
This collaboration proves that protection and personality can coexist. Our signature iPhone and AirPods cases, t-shirts, clutch bag, backpack, and more accessories preserve every functional feature users depend on while looking like they belonged in a better timeline. Machine56’s influence bolstered familiar products as statement pieces without compromising their core purpose.
“For us, our iPhone and AirPods cases are our signature products,” Darren emphasizes. The collaboration challenged us to elevate these foundations while staying true to what made them essential in the first place.
The result feels like the future of everyday carry: gear that works harder, looks bolder, and connects users to a community that values both function and fearless design.
Sometimes evolution requires revolution, even in something as simple as a phone case.
Cop the exclusive SKINARMA x Machine56 collection now.
Want the full story from launch night? Read our complete recap of the SKINARMA x Machine56 media showcase that brought Singapore’s street culture elite together for one electric evening.
