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.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.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.6

‘Pulp Fiction’  Unique organic lighting by Enrico Romero de la Llana

Barcelona based product designer Enrique Romero de la Llana, has created the ‘Pulp Lamp’ collection to ‘give a second life’ to discarded newspapers. Every lamp  in the collection is formed from a 100% recycled paper pulp and made by hand using a selection of inflatable molds. With their textural and organic forms, each one is totally unique.  The collection is contemporised by his brilliant use of the red flex.

With the advent of digital newspaper and the increase in paper waste, this collection addresses the problem of paper waste brilliantly by ‘shining’ a light on the issue and resolving it through a sustainable design solution. The combination of the organic shapes, textural finish and red flex casts a ‘warm glow’ on re-purposed design, in the creation of this iconic , contemporary lighting collection.

Finding Eco particularly likes this elemental, resolved ‘design with purpose’ collection.

http://www.cargocollective.com

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 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. 4

Silvina Romero’s  vibrant sustainable jewelry collection

       

Buenos Aires based desugner Silvina Romero has created a glorious, textural and vibrant collection of  sustainable jewelry or more accurately wearable art pieces. Using   recycled pieces of fabric and textiles. Silvina started working with  textiles scraps  during the height of the Argentinian economic crisis about 4 years ago , collecting  discarded pieces of scrap fabric, thread, nylon, and more in a neighborhood called Once, where many of fabric dealers and manufacturers were based. Silvina’s collections started out as ‘Green by default’ as she  transformed  ‘trash into treasure’ and has since achieved wide spread recognition  for her beautifully hand -crafted, and carefully considered  unique, limited edition pieces. Finding eco loves the organic natural shapes, the vibrant colours and the iconic shapes that Silvina creates as wearable art.

www.silvinaromero.blogspot.com

Series 6. Eco Icon No.14

 

“Toy story“ recycled lamp by Ryan McElhinney

TOY LAMP

When is a toy not a toy?….When it’s transformed into the uber one-off  objets by visionary designer Ryan McElhinney.

Ryan McElhinney’s career began as a seven-year-old drawing cartoons for customers at his father’s County Kildare pub. Today, the Irish designer’s portfolio displays the same mix of humour and creativity that lead him from Dublin’s European College of Animation to award-winning product and interior design, via stints at Disney and 20th Century Fox.

Working as an animator at the Arizona-based Fox, a chance reading of the first issue of Wallpaper magazine set him on a different path. “Contemporary design was like a breath of fresh air”, explains McElhinney, whose workstation was soon surrounded by style magazines and sketches of cartoon-like sofas and chairs. A career as a product designer blossomed, along with a love of local thrift and house clearance stores. Trawling for materials quickly became an obsession, with Mc Elhinney’s limited budget, natural eye and vivid imagination ensuring he spotted the perfect finds to bring to life his early designs. Full of expression and movement, dollar-a-bag sacks of second-hand plastic toys became the designer’s chosen medium. Telling a story with each manipulation, Mc Elhinney meticulously gloss-painted and fused together each figure in a six week process, creating the first in his series of ‘Toy’ frames and lamp bases.

Each sculpture is one of a kind and hand ceafted at my London Studio. Made of recycled Toys which are bonded toghther and then coated in a High Gloss polyurethane laquer.

Endlessly inventive, designs range from the Knot sofa, winner of the Peugeot Design Awards and finalist in both the BIDA and FX awards, to the Swarowski crystal-encrusted ‘groom and groom’ figures rumored to have topped Elton and David’s wedding cake. Today, recycling is more current than ever and remains at the heart of McElhinney’s work. Fusing old and new, he metamorphoses found objects to covetable sculptural one-offs.. A world away from the dated image of how recycled should look, his avant garde urban projects and hand-made one-of-a-kind sculptures have enjoyed the attention of design aficionados from Philippe Starck to Kanye West, who recently enthused about the designer’s subversively glamorous gold-painted Toy Lamps.

Definitely creating a ‘Buzz’ ….and lighting up ‘Finding Eco”s life…..

 

www.ryanmcelhinney.co.uk

Series 6. Eco Icon No.12

“Tea Ceremony Chair” by Hiroki Takada

Hiroki takada was born in Suzuka Mie in Japan.He studies at the Okinawa Art University and went on to launch his own design practice Takada Design in 1996. His products spanned lighting, decoration and furniture all inspired by natural organic  forms.

This latest addition to his collection is new chair called  “tea ceremony chair 2010”. The chair was launched to much acclaim at the Tokyo Designers Week in 2010.

Made from bamboo the chair’s design is inspired by the form of a traditional tea whisk
used in japanese tea ceremonies. The base is split into thinner slats which forms
the elastic  backrest, being made of Bamboo it has strength and elegance of form and yet is flexible enough to have some  maliability to provide comfort and design..

Takada’s design philosophy resembles a beautiful  Haiku poem rather than a mission statement:-

“I want to make people impressed. And, I want also to  impress me. I want to do a new thing. I want to see a beautiful thing. I want to make the thing that time can be exceeded.”

The ‘less is more’ philosophy is working for Takada…no wastage in production or description….just the perfect marrying of form and function.

www.takadadesign.com

Series 6. Eco Icon No.10

“Ultimate bespoke interactive footwear collection” by Cedric Flazinski

According to  Netherlands-based designer  Cedric Flazinski his collection is the antithesis to laborious mass production which in addition to being slow is also inefficient, and inaccurate, and in terms of conserving our planet-wasteful. “Automatization and mass production,”  says Flazinski, “rely on the proactive use of a massive human effort, based on previsions of what ‘possibly’ could suit the need of a maximum of individuals at any given time.”

Flazinski has pioneered a new system based technology which Instead of offering subtle variations of the same product, enables designers to hand over creative control to the consumer. His MyDesigner collection of shoes, (now on display at the  Holon Design Museum  in Israel) takes  the concept of “made-to-order” to an entirely new level, becoming as he describes it “user-based rather than user-generated.

Before a the making process of single shoe is started, would-be customers generate a personal profile based on a visual questionnaire- a form of personal brand mission satement. This data is then translated into a collection of shape variables that ultimately will form the final product, one that expresses the individuality of the user, Flazinski adds, like a “personal flag.” Or as we at ‘finding Eco’ would say like a reading the rings of a tree trunk.

We are all unique and Flazinski has taken our uniqueness and turned it into a tangible covetable product…..easily attaining our Eco Icon status!

www.cedricflazinski.com

Series 5. Eco Icon No.19

Recycled Rubber Couture necklaces by ‘My Sister’s Art’

 

Eco-artist Kathleen Nowak Tucci of   sister duo, My Sister’s Art recycles discarded rubber bicycle  inner tubing  into unique couture jewellery pieces.. Her recycled creations made the cover of  Italian Vogue  September 2010 issue and were featured in the oil-spill editorial featuring Kristen McMenamy .

Tucci  repurposed rubber pieces have been given a new life as statement  wearable  gallery worthy art  pieces. Tucci, who minored in biology in college, is an artist by trade (watercolor, ceramics, polymer clay, precious metals) and an environmentalist at heart. After noticing the inner rubber tubing that her local bike shops threw away on a regular basis, Tucci gathered an armful and began experimenting.

Although Tucci’s jewellery goes hand-in-hand with the current trend of statement pieces and layered necklaces, she said she has never looked to fashion for inspiration.”My sister Margaret was always my muse because she wears avant-garde clothing and likes dramatic jewellery,” she said.

“I have always been interested in design,” she said. “I use the medium of rubber for my inspiration. It is black, flexible and lightweight. I have used my previous experience in many other mediums, to construct and design the jewellery line, which has been driven by the medium.”

While Tucci’s hand-crafted necklaces, lariats, and bracelets are iconic creations and fast becoming collector pieces, they are also addressing a very unresolved land fill issue. Approximately 290 million scrap tires are generated each year in the United States alone, according to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. As tires don’t biodegrade easily and they’re rarely recycled and consequently they usually end up in landfills for perpetuity.

Though small in scope, My Sister’s Art is doing its bit to turn a potential environmental hazard into gorgeous accessories—better adorning us then destroying our world.

Tucci is already focusing on her next collection …for men! She said she has even more ideas than she can create, as she has been extra busy keeping up with the orders for the current line. Her new men’s line that will debut in November 2010.

www.mysistersart.com

Series 5. Eco icon No.16

Delicious up- cycled tea cup ‘cake stands‘ by Esther Coombs

Southampton based UK creative ceramic artist Esther Coombs  has launched her unique collection of up-cycled ceramic cake stands,

Each piece made from a combination of wine glasses and tea cups are as delicious as the cakes they were designed to hold. With the growing trend for highly decorated cup cakes and a return to having ‘ afternoon tea’…Esther’s cake stands are the perfect way to display a host of edible goodies.

This pretty floral cake stand has three tiers and is a lovely mixture of china and glass, with wine glasses dividing up the layers.It is made from found and unloved glass and china found in every place from charity shops.Most of her items are made with some items purchased in a charity shop, so with each piece the purchaser has made a contribution to charity via her charity shop purchase.

When making a cake stand Esther selects a group of china she think will sit well together and wait for a drawing that fits. The city drawings contrast nicely with the flowers on the china. All her cake stands are up-cycled by hand by her and are not suitable for dishwashers or boiling hand washes.

In addition she doesn’t use transfers or prints as all the drawings are done by hand with a ceramic ink pen.

If anyone needed a nudge to consume a bit of Battenburg and a couple of cup cakes…..with one of Esther’s cake stands watch that willpower fly out of the window….

www.esthercoombs.com

Series 5. Eco icon No.14

‘Second life‘ couture necklaces by Charlotte Hosten

Montreal based Charlotte Hosten is a jewellery and accessories designer . Her unique iconic  fabric necklaces have become the axis upon which her clients base their outfits,  creating their look around the necklace.

Charlotte a self-taught designer, was born and raised in Belgium, but is now based in Montreal. At the age of 15 she instinctively learned to create jewellery . Her u.s.p  of creating fabric based necklaces was born of a happy accident when one day she couldn’t find  a suitable clasp for her creations. She then started to embroider beads onto fabric and ever since, her necklaces have become luxurious sculptures; sometimes made of one of a kind antique jewelry pieces or, for the custom made pieces, with the treasures her clients bring her. Charlotte Hosten’s work is now much featured in the international fashion press and as she states ” are proudly created in Montreal.”

Charlotte has a main focus for her design collections in addition to her creative direction …she is commited to ‘REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE.’She says’ In order to minimize our negative impact on the environment, we make sure we recycle everything we can. We also try to stay away from the printer. Most of the trimming waste is kept to be reused and some of the necklaces (the sari collection for example) have been elaborated using almost only trimming waste. We use a lot of vintage beads, brooches and necklaces to which Charlotte Hosten gives a second life.”

Each of her unique couture pieces are completely original one off’s….and can be customised to include pieces of your own jewellery and fabrics….like a fashion forward living sculpture with echoes of the past…want one now!!

 

www.charlottehosten.com

Series 5. Eco Icon No.13

1975 AMC Pacer ‘Cut-Out Clutch’ by Kim White

L A based designer Kim White has created a unique iconic upcycled collection of hand bags made from vintage car fabrics, Kim White uses  never-used textile stock intended for use in  the American automobile industry: cars, trucks and vans. She incredibly unearthed an entire warehouse of automotive fabric, which may be the last existing stock anywhere in the US, and she is the sole owner of these amazing textiles.

Each Kim White Handbag is tagged with the year and make of the fabric, so every bag has its own ‘ vintage car’ provenance (i.e. 1983 Camaro or a 1978 Ford Mustang). Kim White Handbags specializes in automotive fabrics from the 1970’s and 1980’s, when color was de rigueur in the automotive industry.

Since these textiles were originally intended for use in cars, they are incredibly durable. Perfect for  the creation of handbags in style as well as function. Kim White Handbags, in keeping with the tradition of the American car industry, are sophisticated, beautiful and built to last. And just like American automobiles, they have a widespread appeal.

One of her signature collection  is the ‘cut out’ clutch range made using the  aztec design  that adorned the seats of the fabulous 1975 AMC Pacer . The world’s first small wide car! A turquoise blue squiggle runs down the center, bordered with black on a grey horizontal design. The clutch springs open and stays open, and snaps shut using a simple frame mechanism. Ticking all the boxes in terms of ethical design, style and function…the collection features other vintage sports models such as the Camaro ( pictured below). Get on that waiting list now!!!!

Special Edition Brown Cut Out Clutch

www.kimwhitehandbags.com

Series 5.Eco Icon No.12

‘Light reading‘ chandelier by  Lucy Norman

British designer Lucy Norman has launched her latest design- the wittily titled ‘Light Reading’ which uses repurposed books to form the cylindrical shade,via her London based design studio Lula Lot.

According to Norman there are an enormous amount of  books that are printed each year to be read and then discarded. Although many are taken to charity shops, they mostly end up unsold and charities must then pay for books to be sent to landfill. As  there is currently no infrastructure in place to recycle paper books because the grade of paper is low and the removal of the  glue on the spine is very labour intensive…Lucy Norman has repurposed these books and has created an iconic retro inspired  chandelier.

Each individual page is folded in half, producing a circular arrangement that hangs around a dome. I love the idea that each shade contains a thousand stories…..that have been given a new life…literally lighting up our lives!

www.lucynorman.co.uk

Series 5. Eco Icon No.9

Michelle Lowe-Holder’s off-cut jewellery collection

 

Canadian born Michelle Lowe-Holder studied fashion at the legendary Pratt Institute in New York before coming to London where she went on to complete an MA in knitwear at renowned art school Central Saint Martins. After graduating in 2000, she decided to stay in London and launched her own-name label . Michelle has shown at London Fashion Week and achieved three New Generation awards. She’s been building up a following for her lateral, unique collections which incorporate  hand crafted   elements such as knitting, beading, handpainting and prints as well as smocking and integrated jewellery pieces that form part of her fashion collection.

This exploration of textures and textiles led her to express her creativity through jewellery as well as her core fashion collections. Her commitment to sustainable design led to her being sponsored by London College of Fashion’s enterprising program for ethical designers , The Centre for sustainable fashion . She designed a new collection that occupied a central space at Estethica this year , launching her new collection of reclaimed ribbon and off-cut based designs. Michelle said of her new collection:

‘Ribbon Reclaim’ is about creating something beautiful from end-of-line fabric and ribbon. I like to explore old techniques and re-use them in a contemporary way.”

The off-cut cuffs have been snapped up by eco-design hungry fashionistas and now can be seen adorning the A-list wrists of many a celebrity…..

www.lowe-holder.com

Series 5. Eco Icon No. 8

‘Mensa‘ coffee table by Lazarian Studio

UK-based Lazerian Studio  is a creative practice that was founded  in 2006,  by Liam Hopkins, a Manchester born designer-maker.

Based in an immense raw space which was an ex- hat factory in Manchester, the practice is focused on the creation of functional objects through playful investigation of materials and processes, their aim to  imbue objects with a bit of soul without adversely compromising the planet’s  natural resources.

Lazerian Studio’s latest collection was showcased  at the Designer’s block exhibition in Milan this year. It featured an origami inspired furniture collection made entirely by carefully cutting and folding sheets of cardboard recycled from their factory, the designers creating intricate sculptural forms that are structurally stable enough to be used as furnishings.

Cardboard is not the only material that Hopkins and Richard Sweeney are capable of transforming — their Borealis lampshades and Mensa coffee table  ( above) are created from CNC machined plywood, showcasing the designer’s skill in pushing a wide range of materials to their sculptural limit. The designers aim to create minimal waste through their use of repeated forms.

Representative of a new ,dynamic breed of multi-desciplinary design practices..they play as much with scale as with form, applying their design vision to everything from interiorscapes to accessories….all of them unified by their covet ability!

www.lazerian.co.uk

Series 5. Eco Icon No.6

Eco rubber ‘Kelly‘ bag by UmmaGumma

According to founder/ designer Fausta Zambelli- the birth of Ummagumma came from her early appreciation of  the  properties of rubber while working in the tire recapping company founded by her paternal grandfather in 1919.

Hailed as a  visionary and creative “tire repair woman”, Fausta -designer, stylist, and artist has founded a business based on  transforming old inner tubes into a collection of iconic , fashion and homeware accessories.

According to fausta “recycling is all about giving new function to things that have outlived their original use. Materials like plastic, steel, aluminum, and wood can all be recovered and put to precious new application inside the home. Eco-design is an offshoot of Industrial Design that combines respect for the environment, sustainable growth, and creative fantasy. ”

More than a passing fashion trend, Ummagumma’s re-assembly and reinvention of old tire inner tubes into uniquely contemporary new eco objects points straight to the planet’s survival.

By recovering offcuts and recyclable materials from the tire repair trade and using high-quality hides and accessories usually employed in top end leather ware, the Collection combines the organisation and precision of an industrial production cycle with the passion and care of hand made italian craftsmanship .The natural and versatile qualities of rubber – when combined with butyl – have amazing characteristics of strength, stretch, and are 100% waterproof. And with prolonged use, rubber even softens and “ages” as gracefully as the finest leather.

Each product is produced in limited  edition series and is trademarked by laser. All materials are selected and processed in Italy using the same procedures adopted for leather ware with the rubber being worked as if it were a leather hide.

For the eco and style conscious fashionista….I can see a ‘Kelly’ style waiting list for the latest Ummagamma eco icon….

www.umma-gamma.com