Hot Lunch reimagines the BIC lighter as a collectible design object

Los Angeles studio Hot Lunch, a collaboration between industrial design studio Sample and graphic design firm Forth+Back, has created a series of limited-edition lighter cases that transform the classic BIC lighter into a collectible design object. Produced via rapid manufacturing in small runs, each case completely redesigns the lighter's silhouette and color with a precise logic. The collection includes a pastel yellow octagonal model, a red version with vertical grooves evoking a miniature architectural column, a blue undulating silhouette, an acid green double-stacked sphere, and a brown case referencing a billiard ball with the number 14. Hot Lunch focuses on what it calls 'daily rituals'—small repeated gestures usually overlooked—arguing that even the most ordinary objects deserve formal attention. The cases straddle the line between functional object and collectible, between product design and pop material culture.