Fragment wants to rethink death by transforming funeral rites to create a meaningful, pertinent experience for the deceased’s loved ones. Creating a new pathway for an outdated process to better reflect contemporary lives. This start-up project is attracting attention from several funeral homes in Quebec, but also from people within the funeral industry in Great Britain, Germany and the United States.

While the death of a loved one is a universal hardship, it is always a personal, solitary experience and is never integrated into our daily lives because we’re afraid of showing our emotions. Fragment wants to allow more people to feel comfortable with this new ritual. As opposed to traditional ceremonies that take place during a specific short event, the experience offered by Fragment is timeless. It allows the life of the deceased to be celebrated by ensuring that their memory lives on.

Fragment has two distinct target audiences. The first includes those who question current funeral rites, without however disputing that they are important and relevant to the mourning process. Fragment is also aimed at those who reject the current rituals outright and who are attracted to disruptive industries and other start-ups from that world.

Fragment uses the language of design to redefine the traditions associated with loss by offering a three-dimensional commemorative experience that pays tribute to the life of the deceased. First, through a mobile app, friends and family share their pictures and videos of the deceased loved one. Then, those memories are gathered and saved into a connected memento. The mobile app also guides loved ones through their bereavement process and helps them heal.

Our approach with Fragment is that experience design should be used to make a difference in people’s lives, not just to make things pretty and smooth. We’ve made Fragment into a tool that unites a community, inspires commemoration, creates an enriched experience and assists the mourner in their personal journey. Given the delicate nature of the subject, the Fragment brand is understated and discreet. The materials used for the memento, like stone and wood, are noble and modern.

The rebranding work took place during summer 2018. The new, decidedly modern brand attracted the media’s and the funeral industry’s attention throughout the world. Fragment has been available since June 2018. It’s available across Canada at a retail price of $499 CAD. Made to order.