Ecru (French for raw) is a camera targeted for nature-lovers that came about with the rise of ecological consciousness in the early 1990’s. The second limited-edition camera project from Olympus was designed in 1992 around the concept of kinari, Japanese for untreated fabric, representative of pure and natural state of being as opposed to highly industrial artificial objects. The symmetric boxy sculpture of the camera body is equipped with hardware designed and finished much like scientific tools such as tweezers and microscopes, and is encased in a leather case that claims the camera’s status as a scientific equipment. The popular camera is the recipient of Germany’s Innovative Design Award 1991.