You get to vote on Amazon's wild and modern new Echo Dot designs

What you need to know

• Amazon is adding limited-edition Echo Dots to its innovative Build It program.
• The Echo Dots will feature custom styles by fashion designer and philanthropist Diane von Furstenberg.
• The designer Dots are available now for $60, but customers must place their orders by August 13th, 2021.

Today Amazon announced the newest additions to its Build It concepts line in the form of one its most iconic devices, the Echo Dot. The company is partnering with noted fashion designer and philanthropist Diane von Furstenberg to offer three new looks for its popular smart speaker. The new Echo Dot x designs include Midnight Kiss, Ikat, and Twigs, and customers can preorder them starting today. As part of this offering, Amazon is also donating towards Vital Voices, a non-profit chosen by von Furstenberg that invests in women leaders who are working to solve the world's biggest challenges.

Amazon's Build It initiative stems from the company's Day 1 Editions program and can be thought of as its version of a crowdfunding experience. The way it works is that customers choose which products get made by placing orders for their favorite versions. If the product reaches its pre-order goal within 30 days, Amazon will begin building and shipping it. Customers are not charged unless and until a product meets its funding goal. Amazon says it conceived the Build It program as a way to give its customers more of a voice on what products and devices it makes.

The initial batch of Build It concepts included a Smart Sticky Note Printer, a Smart Nutrition Scale, and a Smart Cuckoo Clock. All three products generated a fair amount of interest; however, only the Smart Sticky Note Printer reached its 30-day goal. Amazon has begun production of the devices and plans to ship them to customers in the coming months. While the first Build It products were new concepts, this latest venture marks the first time Amazon has added custom versions of an existing and established product to the program.

Amazon's Day 1 Editions program was established a few years back to give customers an opportunity to experience experimental products and devices ahead of their general release and provide feedback for future iterations of those products. The most recognized and successful example of a Day 1 Edition product graduating into a widely-available consumer product is the Echo Frames, which are smart glasses with Alexa built-in.

Customers may pre-order any of the Echo Dot x Diane von Furstenberg designs starting today through August 13, 2021.