New York’s Olympus Fashion Week had a rather unusual sponsor this year: Kohler, which used its sponsorship to launch its sleek new toilet, the Purist Hatbox.

The Hatbox is so named for its white cylindrical shape. When closed, it could indeed be mistaken for a hatbox – or at least a modernist chair made of china. There is no visible tank; the mechanics are entirely contained and hidden within the “box,” on top of which is the seat.

To make sure the fashion-show attendees fully experienced the new product, the company supplied three trailers with six luxury restrooms each for participants and viewers to use during Fashion Week, providing a significant upgrade from the port-a-john.

“We wanted people to be able to touch and see it, but also to have the opportunity to interact with it,” said Maria Arango, a Kohler marketing representative. “Kohler is about gracious living. And this was a way to enhance gracious living within an environment.”

From firsthand knowledge, I can say that this “interaction” made the week a much more pleasurable experience, for at least one reporter.

Ms. Arango explained that the Hatbox is the product of an intensive design process that nearly the entire company was involved in. To achieve the most comfortable seat, Kohler brought in more than 100 people of various heights and weights. These subjects sat on a typical toilet seat covered with a small blanket fitted with sensors. The sensors recorded the pressure points on standard toilet seats, which were then eliminated and smoothed out in the design process.

The seat itself is therefore designed to be comfortable for the widest variety of body shapes. It stands slightly taller than standard toilets, which allows one to sit down and get up more easily.

In addition to the comfort factors, the Hatbox has several nifty features: the lid (made of scratch resistant plastic) has an automatic soft close. The flush function requires no push on a button or lever: Instead, there is a small silver circle on the side of the toilet; when a finger touches the surface, it closes a circuit that activates the flush. (It did help during Fashion Week that there were signs instructing the user that this was the case. A hapless guest in a home outfitted with these toilets might not be so lucky.)

The Purist Hatbox retails for about $2,800. Here’s hoping that includes an instructional sign.

For more information on the Purist Hatbox, visit www.kohler.com/hatbox.