independent.co.uk: As the Design Museum prepares to announce the award for the most stylish innovation of the year, Alice Jones introduces the seven category winners

They range from Yves Saint Laurent’s Downtown tote bag to the Nintendo Wii, and from the Parisian self-service bicycle-hire scheme to a kitchen bin whose lid hovers on its rim when opened, and a felt chair that stacks noiselessly and cannot be used as a weapon, designed for a Swedish prison. These are just some of the 100 creations nominated by a panel of experts including the designer Wayne Hemingway, fashion photographer Nick Knight, and director of the Design Museum Deyan Sudjic, for the first Brit Insurance Designs Awards. [ read more ]