Series 8. Eco Icon No.15

 Jewellery as sculptural art

 by Atelier XJC

“Whoever wishes to do great things must think profoundly of the details.”

Poet and writer Paul Valéry, via Atelier XJC.

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When we normally hear of Swiss Luxury design firms our thoughts turn to luxury watches, jewellery and accessories made of precious and semi precious materials. But that was before Atelier XJC launched their iconic, avant garde collection of sculptural, one off intricate, sculptural jewellery pieces inspired by plumes, feathers, scales and Elizabethan large scale referenced ruffs.

Using their  unique expertise in the world of luxury product design, particularly in the field of luxury watchmaking and jewellery through their collaborations with prestigious and internationally recognised manufacturers, XJC  pushes the boundaries of their skillsets  to a higher level with the launch of an ideas laboratory to act as an incubator for the creation of unique, pioneering and directional collections.

The arresting photos of the collection and the  choice of  non-conventional models add to the impact of the collection. It is so engaging, and interesting  to see these conceptual jewellery pieces modelled by a unique group of  models with individuality and style. the photos were taken by Milo Keller & Julian Gallico of the Twinroom agency in Paris.

www.xjc.ch

 

Series 8. Eco Icon No.14

Nature as wearable jewelry.

An iconic ring collection by Pasionae

Pasionae is a New York based contemporary jewelry atelier. Its collection, which include many bespoke and unique one-of-a-kind pieces, combine their experimental use of color, shape and texture to create an architectonic and textural range.

Using the raw, natural forms of precious stones and diverse elements such as emerald, wood, glass and silver, Pasionae gives each individually handcrafted piece a unique stamp and personality.

Primarily inspired by human passions, each of Pasionae’s metamorphic designs capture powerful emotions that embody the concept of l’art pour l’art (art for art’s sake).

These pieces are dramatic, 3 dimensional statement conversation pieces that are instantly collectible and very covetable.

www.pasionae.com

Series 8. Eco icon no.13

Jean Genius.

Furniture and tableware made from a recycled denim composite by Matteo Fogale and Laetitia de Allegri

 

London based designers Matteo Fogale and Laetitia de Allegri recently launched, at the London Design Festival, a collection of furniture and homewares  that they designed using  an ingenious composite of recycled denim, cotton and paper,called Denimite that actually looks like stone but without the weight that stone designs usually carry.

The ISH Collection is Matteo Fogale and Laetitia de Allegri’s first design collaboration. The range features  a bench, side tables, shelving, a wall-mounted mirror and a selection of homewares.

The collection also featured another upcycled material called Marblus is made from scraps of white cotton and polyester from discarded clothing, and other fabric offcuts. The mixture of different fabrics gives the mostly white material a blue-grey element which resemble the veins in Carrara marble.

“Recycled materials can often look like a ‘second choice’ and not premium enough,” said De Allegri “We both love the look and feel of stone  but we find the weight and fragility a bit limiting in its applications.”

The materials can be worked like wood, and so the entire collection could be fabricated by the designers in-house  in their own studio, working with the manufacturer of Marblus and Denimite,  Iris Industries, to form and  curve slabs of the materials for the first time providing a whole new series of creative options for the use of these innovative recycled materials.

As De Allegri explained in a recent interview with Dezeen “These materials look stunning and are easy to work with, we were able to create pieces that are more accessible and that woould be hard to achieve using real stone. We also like the poetry of something beautiful that mimics a natural material and yet is created from post industrial scrap.”

Organic forms of curves, ovals and circles form a continuos thread throughout the collection which has made wearing your jeans out even more rewarding as their second life, in the talented hands of Matteo Fogale and Laetitia de Allegri will be as exciting as their first.

www.matteofogale.com

Series 8. Eco Icon No.12

‘Flower power’

Succulent showpiece necklace

by Tyramin

 

Tyramin began their creative journey by designing and creating iconic  sustainable jewelry. Their original concepts evolved and expanded to include home decor collections using the  silhouettes, and materials from the jewelry collection,  Their jewelry & home designs are whimsical and elegant with some surprising darker undertones. The materials  and techniques they use meld the traditional and the contemporary giving a contemporary twist to timeless ideas. Their collections use sustainable materials and energy efficient manufacturing which for them has been the most important element of their design process, and their commitment to sustainability extends beyond their design to their business practices.

Tyramin design their collections in a  thoughtful and sustainable manner.Their Succulent jewelry collection and home design objects are hand cast from real succulent plants and locally grown and sourced flowers. Energy efficient methods, recycled packaging and sustainable materials are drive their design process , and labour and manufacturing are both sourced in the USA .  Tyramin Studios are based in Pittsbugh, Pennsylvania,  The Succulent casts retain the texture of the original live plant, very similar to taking a fossil impression. The Pewter-cast plants are arranged to imitate the natural growing patterns of hens and chicks succulents. Flower clusters measure about 8.5″ long by 3.5″ High, with an adjustable Stainless Steel chain.. Tyramin jewelry is artist-made made in the USA. To Tyramin craftsmanship and sustainability are as important to them as their considered sense of design.

www.tyramin.com

 

Series 8. Eco Icon No.10

“When less really is more.”

Giorgio Caporaso’s cardboard shelving collection for LESSMORE products.

   

The More Collection is a multi functional  system of modular furniture for internal and external use.

The design of this sustainable collection has centered around its modularity and transformability, starting with the design of a basic  unit,  which can be combined with other identical or similar units to create a bespoke shelving unit.  It can be made into a suspended wall unit, an open bookcase , or it can be used as a room divider other environments, and can be anchored or suspended from the ceiling.

More is the response to everyday life that demands an ongoing flexibility of spaces and adaptability of furniture to meet our ever changing life style requirements.

The product is based on the use of units which can be readily combined without needing any special or complex equipment and which can be built up as desired, so providing highly versatile and interesting solutions which are not only aesthetic, but – given its self-supporting nature – are also functional.

There is no limit to the number of ways in which the units can be assembled. The creations are never permanent and can easily be changed, as the finish of each unit enables it to be used as a final element. Linear, corner and overhang compositions are possible.

Giorgio Caparosa says ” Objects can have a long, sometimes varied, life, until, that is, they are at last disposed of. To ensure that their everlasting effect on the planet is well felt, these products are born through careful study dedicated to both birth and rebirth.”

These furnishings and accessories explore the eco-friendly potential of cardboard and wood,  enabling the product to meet the design expectations of the product while at the same time being sustainable and innovative. Designed by Giorgio Caporaso, Lessmore products are manufactured to be easily disposable and to have no negative impact on the environment.

Findingeco loves the successful fusion of design, sustainability and flexibilty  inherent within this collection and values its commitment to treading lightly on our planet.

www.caporasodesign.it

Series 8. Eco Icon No.9

‘Wearable Sculptural 3D Printed Art by Daniel Widrigs‘

London architect and artist Daniel Widrig has taken 3D printing to another level. He has created a unique, custom collection of wearable sculptures.His creations  are abstract three dimensional forms , each one customised to fit the unique shape of the wearer. The soft and sinuous lines in Widrig’s 3D-printed collection share the fluid lines and textures often found in  the work of his mentor  and visionary architect, Zaha Hadid  in whose practice he was significantly involved,  designing some of Hadid’s most iconic buildings and products.

The collection is  made using  a polyamide material, with each piece being  laser-formed into  patterns that interact with the organic forms of the body. Created by taking 3D  body scans Widrig was able to customize each piece to the unique configuration of the model’s body shape. Little Black Spine, for instance, is a piece that draws on the form of a skeleton and was designed to look like a natural extension of the model’s spine.

Daniel Widrig  established  his own studio in  London in 2009, Widrig’s studio now works in a broad range of fields including sculpture, fashion, furniture design and architecture.  Embracing digital systems since its early days, the studio holds a unique position in the field and is widely considered to be in the vanguard of digital art and design.                                                                  

Daniel has received international critical acclaim and has been published and exhibited internationally. He received a number of prestigious awards including the Swiss Arts Award, Feidad Merit Award and the Rome Prize. In 2009 Daniel was named Maya Master, a title awarded by the digital design community and software industry recognizing people reshaping and redefining the boundaries of technology and art.

The concept of creating unique wearable sculptures  to order means a transparent supply chain, no wastage and a small carbon footprint which apart from being covetable and exquisitely beautiful makes it more than worthy of being named Finding Eco Eco  Series 8 Icon No.9.

www.danielwidrig.com

Series 8. Eco Icon No. 8.

‘ BUBBLES’ Champagne bottle top upcycled jewellery collection by Laura Lobdell

 

New York artist Laura Lobdell , began to apply the ‘found-object vocabulary’ she practiced in her art, to  her jewelry design. Her first pieces  was called the “Guitar Pick.”  The “Guitar Pick” was originally made for musician friends who played in the Village, would lose their picks, and call out to the crowd for quarters or nickels as substitutes.  Laura decided to sculpt classic guitar picks in silver and threaded with leather to be worn around the players’ necks, which their girlfriends promptly pinched to adorn themselves, creating a need for more.  Laura added four related pieces to create a collection titled “Five Easy Pieces,” presented in decoupage black cigar boxes:  a RunoverBeerBottleCap, Bullet, Piano Key (from an antique Steinway), and the Slab ID bracelet.

Requests for similar jewelry styles led to Laura designing what have now become  her signature pieces:  “Bubbles Royale,” a bubble wand in sterling silver or gold that comes with liquid bubbles, the “Match Stick Necklace,” packaged in a match box illustrated with “You’re My Match,” and the “Champers Ring and Collection” – all signed, copyrighted, and hand-crafted in New York City.

An avid vintage and textile collector, Laura developed a hand-knotting technique with ocean-washed silk, to create the first “Seeds of Silk” collection.  New color stories emerge seasonally.

Her collections, being hand crafted, locally made and created using found and upcycled objets, tick all the sustainable design boxes that we at Finding Eco  look for in our Eco Icon worthy featured designers.

www.lauralobdell.com

Series 8. Eco Icon No.7.

The only way is UP!

The UP-SHIRT does it better than most.

 

 

Fashion designer and environmentalist Reet Aus  has made up-cycling both her personal and professional  mission spanning  her up-cycled fashion collections to her costume design for films and theatre.

Having recently completed a Phd in sustainable fashion design,  Reet’s research led her to Bangladesh, where she began a working relationship with a factory called Beximco who make garments for many well known brands.  Their manufacturing  process accumulates an excess of waste fabrics which Reet saw as a positive opportunity to effect change. gathering together a team of experts to use all the off cuts and create an up-cycled garment and the UP-shirt was born.

Every year numerous public events such as stadium sports events , concerts, or festivals print t-shirts for the event which more often than not after a couple of wears find their way to the bottom of a drawer or worse are thrown away. If we started to view each T shirt as a vast tank of water required to produce it, perhaps we would stop to consider the implications of our ‘throw away’ culture. Factory made t-shirts produce up to 40% wastage which in turn means that 40% of the cotton is grown for production is wasted   and vast amounts of water and earth resources are used, as well as the energy required to  spin the yarn, transport the material, the  factory’s own energy consumption and the labour used in the production chain.

Using new up-cycling design and production methods it is now possible to  mass produce a t-shirt with a 80% smaller environmental footprint.

After many years of dedicated  research  Upmade came up with a design and production model to mass produce t-shirts using the 40% left over by traditional factory production methods.

Their mission is to  demonstrate that mass up-cycling works, with a view to ultimately reducing  the negative impact on the environment of manufacturing waste produced by the fashion industry.

Rees and her team have recently launched a Kickstarter Campaign to fund the development of the UP shirt. Support them here and give them a big heads UP!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/466844291/up-shirt-the-tee-with-the-tiny-environmental-footp

Series 8. Eco Icon No.5

‘My Family‘ by Sonia Verguet upcycled furniture collection

20 chairs, one wooden cube that is the concept behind Sonia Verguet’s unique recycled chair collection  The collection of  20 chairs, stools and ottomans is made up of a combination of  of recycled seating, with individual bases, seats  or back rests creating an eclectic yet surprisingly  cohesive collection with each chair either working as a stand alone piece or together as a’ family’ of chairs.

The contemporary art center La Kunsthalle de Mulhouse has commissioned Sonia to create a  production of 20 unique chairs, with the option to also create one -of-a-kind, customised versions available  as individual commissions.

‘My Family’ is the perfect name for this collection as in the same way as a family is made up of a connected but individual people, so Sonia Verguet seats, with a choice of one’s preferred style of backrests and legs have a common design thread while allowing for each chairs unique individuality to shine through.

Whether you choose one to match your personality or your interior, within Sonia Verguet’s ‘Family’ there is a chair for everyone! Looking forward to choosing mine now!

www.soniaverguet.com

by orianna fielding

Eco icon finder, designer, author , curator, broadcaster, retailer …following the principles of Wabi Sabi…learning to love the beauty of imperfection….learning that to ignore the facts doesn’t change the facts and remembering it is never too late to become who you are….and that it is better to be kind than to be right with a personal mission to find out ‘how to feed the soul without starving the planet’.

 

 

Series 8. Eco Icon No. 4

‘It’s a wrap‘ Haute Couture gowns made from recycled packaging  for DHL by Michael Michalsky

DHL is not a name usually associated with fashion other than for the packaging and transporting of it.

However for Fashion Week  DHL commissioned visionary german fashion designer Michael Michalsky to design a couture collection using only the full range of DHL packaging materials. This inspired collaboration  resulted in a beyond stunning collection that is worthy of any ‘green carpet challenge’.

Designed to promote global shipping company DHL at Fashion week and in billboards and print ads, designer Michael Michalsky turned shipping and packaging materials into stunning haute couture. Conceived of by German agency Jung von Matt and photographed by Kristian Schuller, the images were used by DHL as a self-promotion campaign.

These uber eco-chic creations are some great examples of sustainable designs that any fashionista would be proud to wear, while brilliantly showcasing  the glamorous side of sustainable design. Made from discarded bubble wrap, brown paper and packaging tape DHL Haute Couture is the ultimate up cycled couture and is both innovative and very inspiring. These  magnificent gowns made out of discarded packaging will forever change  the way we view  used packaging.

Michael Michalsky is regarded as one of Germany’s most influential fashion designers. He has worked as Design Manager at Levi’s and Global Creative Director at Adidas before founding his own Label “MICHALSKY” 2006 in Berlin. MICHALSKY serves the high fashion segment by fusing classical styles with streetwear influences. Besides his work as fashion designer Michael Michalsky founded his design agency “MICHALSKY designLab” , which realizes design projects in the fields of product, interior design and corporate fashion.

http://www.michalsky.com

Series 8. Eco Icon No. 3

Branching out!  ‘Forms in Nature’ create an indoor forest.

We have lived with the concept of ‘bringing the outdoors in’ in interior design schemes but designers Hilden & Diaz have just taken this concept to a new level! The amazing design duo have created this unique sculptural lighting  piece as a homage to the  late Darwinist Ernst Haeckel’s and his drawings.

This beautiful sculptural pendant  light called appropriately “Forms in Nature” is inspired by the root formation of a tree. The light source nestled within it’s centre, creates when lit, these oversized organic shadows that fill the walls of the space with undulating forms that create the illusion of a ‘shadow forest’.

The light at the moment is in prototype stage and Hilden & Diaz are so committed to bringing their concept to market that they are getting ready to launch the product via a Kickstarter campaign. So look out for them on Kickstarter and watch this space  if you’re interested in one of these pieces.

Finding Eco  LOVES both the concept and the piece and  we think it is worthy of being our Series 8 Eco Icon no. 3! So we will be watching their progress very closely!!!

www.hildendiaz.dk

Series 8. Eco Icon No.2.

“from Trash to treasure” Munenari Maegawa’s recycled accessory collection.

Artist Munenari Maegawa has created a witty collection made from discarded packaging which would have added to the landfill. She takes packages for items like M&M’s and McDonalds and turns them into pop culture pieces of clothing.

This vibrant  colourful collection includes vests, ties, bibs and ribbons. Munenari Maegawa’s series ‘Package’ has achieved originality and sustainability . The vest in this collection is made from washing detergent boxes- how brilliant to be able to give a second life to the packaging of your washing powder!.  The M&M tie is one of the most original of the collection.

‘Package’ leads the way in highlighting how recycling one person’s trash can definitely create ‘treasure’ for another!

www.munenari–maegawa.com

Series 8. Eco Icon No. 1

Music to the eyes.

Veronique Lamarre’s upcycled CD case lighting collection

We all know that CDs have been rendered almost obsolete as music has become digitalised. So what to do with the mountains of newly redundant CD jewel cases? Veronique Lamarre found a creative solution to the problem by creating a  lighting  collection  that reuses these cases and ticks all the boxes of form, function and planet. Using jewel cases and CDs as the base material for a dynamic graphic collection of shades, she has given a second life and purpose to  the  huge volume of  redundant CD packaging

Lamarre’s work succeeds at all levels as her lighting design is both covetable and sustainable.; Finding eco particularly loves her Louis Poulson inspired artichoke lamp called ‘ No more music Mr Henningson”

Veronique Lamarre is the perfect example of what happens when design, vision and talent combine to show us that it’s not always the content that shines…in her  CD case  lighting collection it’s definitely the packaging!

www.veroniquelamarre.com

Series 7. Eco Icon No.19

The human side of fashion :Life changing storytelling T’s, healing through shared experiences.

Often in life when we are faced with difficult life challenges like the loss of a loved one, we do everything we can to get through them and in time re – build and move on, However we can all learn from the visionary way Brett Novek dealt with the loss of  his father to Lymphoma, As a way of keeping the memory of his dad alive and as a place where other people could also share their  personal life-changing stories, Brett Novek started good hYOUman.

He created a concept T shirt and accessory line that featured the stories that people share on the company’s website . This not only helps to raise awareness towards the individuals struggling with life-threatening diseases but they are also a way of healing through sharing a deeply emotional experience.

Brett donates ten percent of all proceeds from the clothing line towards helping the  90,000 people or so diagnosed with Leukemia and Lymphoma every year.

Good hYOUman is a perfect and inspiring example of the growing swell of  social businesses. As Brett says, “everyone has a story, and we get out inspiration from the stories you share with us.”

Finding Eco loves this concept as we believe that all businesses should have a triple bottom line because ‘putting back’ is where real value come from.

www.goodhyouman.com

Series7. Eco Icon No.18.

Inspirational jewellery by EKO-LAB

Designer/ visual artists Xing-Zhen Chung-Hilyard and Melissa Kirgan,are EKO- LAB

They view the creative process as a holistic, almost spiritual experience which translates into beautiful, ephemeral works spanning, fashion, jewellery, accessories and  installations.

Their mission statement expresses their vision perfectly:-

“Creativity is a deep unconscious force. A process that reveals the unseen see-able and dreams reality. There’s a peace that comes from designing that in some small way we’re making the every-day more beautiful.”

Finding eco loves the sensuality and textural complexity of their work and the way their creative  handwriting forms a cohesive thread accross a variety of different creative platforms.

www.eko-lab.com

Series 7.Eco Icon No.17.

‘Surprise Surprise‘ light by Stephen Johnson

In the same way that Jeff Koons challenged our perceptions of every day objects by playing with their scale ….London based designer Stephen Johnson has designed this delightful, oversized and  witty light made out of semi- transparent PET, as part of his ‘surprise, surprise’ collection.

This surreal, upscale interpretation of a ‘gift bow’ is clearly designed to make you smile. Filled with echoes of past birthdays and celebrations .Surprise Surprise is both a visually stunning object and a multifunctional light that can be used on a wall, a ceiling,  table or can even be suspended as a pendant lamp from the ceiling.It explores how light can be used to evoke emotions and memories , which is Stephen Johnson’s mission as a designer. Exploring the less obvious elements of design, his work centres largely on how design can exist for the cognitive, as well as our practical needs. Through a love of ornamentation and kitsch he considers design as fulfilling emotional needs like humour and nostalgia.

Finding Eco…LOVES LOVES LOVES this !!! ‘Surprise Surprise’ definitely merits title of ‘Eco Icon No. 17’,

www.artecnicainc.com/Designers/Designers/Stephen_Johnson>

Series7. Eco Icon no.16

BOXING CLEVER.

‘RE-PLY‘ Re purposed cardboard recliner

by Dan Goldstein

When is a a cardbox box not a cardboard box? When it falls into the hands of Dan Goldstein. In this witty , no wastage, recycled furniture collection names Re-Ply or perhaps it should have  been called ‘re-apply’!!. This  core concept for this project according to designer Dan Goldstein is a rather unique appraoch to  both form and method, using broken-down boxes that would otherwise be discarded  as  garbage to form a reclining lounge chair.

Based in San Francisco,the Re-PLY chair  is inspired by designer seats, with its sleek lines and mid century references it would grace any contemporary interior.

The Re-PLY Chair has  a few features that sets it apart from other cardboard furniture creations available in the recycled market place. It is reclinable for maximum comfort.The metal base is either powdercoated or zing-plated and the overall dimensions are 30” L x 23” D x 25.5” H It is also available with a felt or faux fur  cover and Dan is currently  looking for funding to develop the range via Kickstarter.

www.yankodesign.com

Series 7. Eco Icon No.15

‘Just mustard‘ shopper-holic re-useable tote

We are living in a world where the days of plastic bags are thankfully numbered. Re-useable bags are becoming an every day necessity – yet rarely do we find a tote that is as witty, well designed and portable as the ‘ shopper-holic re-useable tote by ‘Just Mustard’.

Designed to look like a designer bag at first glance  it is, however, a reusable tote designed to fold up into a little pouch, which can be opened up when needed. The compact nature of its design means it is totally portable- and can be carried around in a handbag and used easily when required.

In an effort  to cut down on waste, most stores are encouraging the use of reusable shopping totes by charging customers money for a standard plastic bag. Thegreat thing about the Shopper-holic is its high end design. Form and function in perfect unison….a findingeco’ must!

This concept could be expanded to include a male collection with a series of ‘manbag’ designs! Let’s watch this space!

www.justmustard.com

Series 7. Eco Icon No.14

‘Alter Ego‘ armoire by Mieke Meijer

 

 

Dutch designer Mieke Meijer first created the ‘Alter Ego’ cabinet in 2009. It is a  witty contemporary homage to the Baroque ornateness of previous centuries. This five piece modular  armoire can be assembled to reveal an image of a gold antique cabinet or can be used as five separate storage units.

The ‘Alter Ego’ cabinet can be deconstructed and reconstructed according to taste and functionality. It can be as representational or as abstract as you wish. Finding Eco loves  the simple, elegant and adaptable design with its gilded classic references and recycled wood structure.

Order yours now from:

www.miekemeijer.nl

Series 7. Eco Icon No.13

CJY’s ” Wood Be” Collection

London based designer CJ studied at Central Saint Martins and graduated in 2012. Her latest collection called “Wood Be”,(a play on words), is inspired by the shapes and construction  of  ancient musical instruments.

CJ re-created them combining wooden pieces with  knitted and crocheted forms creating tubes, lines, strings and  fringes, as well as waves expressed in different visual ways. ,  The knitted and crochetted elements were used as the connection between wood and fabric.

The collection also aims to explore the idea of using natural alternative material as the primary source, such as wood, which is one of the most treasure ways to communicate with  nature, and to refine the traditional techniques of wood and crafts .

CJ says:

“EACH OF THE UNIQUE PIECES REPRESENTS MY PERSONAL IMPRESSION OF IDEAL WOMEN WHO  THEY“WOOD BE”

 

The focus of the collection is  on exploring  the combination of traditional technique and contemporary cuts in a subtle way.

This fluid yet inherently architectonic collection is destined to become a collection of collectible , unique – one off pieces. Order yours now!!!

www.notjustalabel.com/cjy