Ecolect + MoSS

This past weekend was the first year edition of MoSS- Museum of Sustainable Style in Chicago. MoSS is an exhibition of sustainable fashion and furniture that highlights the reality that one does not have to sacrifice style for the environment.  Curated by Pivot  boutique owner, Jessa Brinkmeyer, the exhibit was created to run in parallel with Fashion Forward Chicago, Chicago’s fashion week.

It was the first Ecolect + MoSS collaboration. Ecolect was invited to curate a sustainable materials Petting Zoo focusing primarily on the fashion and furniture design industries. We highlighted materials such as hemp linen, faux biodegradable leather, Geami packaging, LoVo paint, and a sorghum surfacing material. The MoSS exhibit was designed as a self-guided tour.  First, buyers and fashionistas walked through to learn about the garments, the designers, and the story behind each designers decisions. Then they ended up at the Petting Zoo with hands on experience to the materials themselves and corresponding material information.

Saturday afternoon MoSS hosted a panel discussion moderated by Shaun Crutcher of Connect and 3.Zero, and on it sat Natural Living Expert and TV show host Sara Snow; fashion designer Lara Miller, Brentano founder Iris Wang, and Green Exchange founder Barry Brusak. The panel conversation highlighted the importance of our decisions as consumers to make responsible purchasing decisions.

In all, we taught viewers the importance not only of the end result but of the importance of sourcing decisions, transportation and packaging decisions, and all the associated design decisions that make sustainability a vital Pivot point.

MoSS: Museum of Sustainable Style

This weekend in Chicago, Ecolect is hosting a custom curated eco-materials Petting Zoo at MoSS- the Museum of Sustainable Style. Moss is a part of Fashion Forward Chicago, Chicago’s fashion week.Curated by Jessa Brinkmeyer of Pivot boutique, MoSS exhibits garments by Chicago eco-fashion designers, and seats and tables by local sustainable furniture designers. The collection exhibits how one can live and outfit sustainably without sacrificing style. To go along with this theme Ecolect was invited to co-curate an eco-materials library of fashion and furniture specific materials. Included in the exhibit are materials from Brentano, Hemp Traders, Pickering International, Noon Solar, and more.A panel discussion will be held on Saturday, October 4 from 2-3pm to discuss the details of sustainability, style, function, and our tomorrow. Come by and check out the collection. Admire the custom designed patterns by Chicago’s graphic design guru, Alex Fuller, and a video animated by Chicago’s One Design Company.

A Twist On The Classics

SKATE STUDY HOUSE, also known as ‘SSH’, is a line of products conceived through the eyes of a skateboarder. The furniture aims to mix contemporary lifestyle, art and sports culture, and align with some of the bestselling modern furniture, while paying tribute to the renowned Case Study House. “The SKATE STUDY HOUSE finds its inspiration here by recreating furniture, and giving a feel of déjà vu-with-a-twist by incorporating skateboard decks. The introduction of this new element responds to the popularity of action sports, street art and design culture with a consciousness on our environment.” You might ask where they got all of these decks from which to construct the furniture. It’s easy to realize when you discover that the project is a collaboration between Jim Gray and Jonjon of ACME, Steve Lake of Sector 9, Chris Bullard and Al Collins of Premier Displays, and designer Eric Crandell.

Learn more at skatestudyhouse.com

ICFF 2008: The Report

This year there were several pieces that considered the environment and stood out from the crowd. More than ever there was a reoccurrence of manufacturing in the New York metro area. Several designers we spoke with mentioned that their products were fabricated or produced in Brooklyn and also sold locally. We were also very excited to see an increase in the amount of recycled materials being used in the production of furniture.

Ayako Takase, Cutter Hutton and Chris Specce of Kaiju Studios in Providence, RI released the Airia desk and media cabinet, for Herman Miller this year at ICFF. These pieces are part of Herman Miller’s Lifework Portfolio series and strive to create a remarkable, quality design that is far from disposable and very desirable. Takase mentioned that through the design, ergonomics, materials and construction quality, they intend the furniture to be something “you’ll keep for the rest of your life and pass on for generations.” The desk and cabinet are both designed for easy assembly/disassembly and are made from walnut, featuring a plywood laminate top surface and cast aluminum legs.

Kaiju Studios

Akemi Tanaka is a Brooklyn based designer and a recent graduate of the Industrial Design masters program at Pratt. She launched her line of eco-friendly furniture this year at ICFF. The three new products that she released at the show include Ori, Sachi and Curve. They are locally made in Brooklyn and primarily sold to customers in the New York area.

Akemi Tanaka

Meredith Goodwin created the SURA table. A simple, modular coffee/side table piece designed for small spaces. SURA is fabricated out of a strong aluminum alloy with an Indian inspired design cut into the metal. SURA is made from Aluminum and produced locally in Brooklyn, New York.

Goodwin Design

Diane Ruengsorn, Founder and Director of Domestic Aesthetic created a line of housewares that use sustainably forested and reclaimed woods while being locally made in Brooklyn. Our favorite product uses scrap mahogany which is reclaimed from a local window manufacturer.

Domestic Aesthetic

With the rising cost of fuel and labor oversees, material companies such as IceStone, are using production facilities in the United States. IceStone manufactures Cradle to Cradle certified eco-friendly surface material used for countertops, bathroom vanities, and flooring for commercial or residential projects. The material is made from recycled glass and concrete and is produced by an environmentally friendly manufacturing process at a factory in Brooklyn, New York.

IceStone

Droog Does Materials

I am here in Milan, Italy reporting from the Fuori Salone di Mobile. I’ve seen quite a lot and walked even more! Yesterday we went to see the Droog exhibition close to la Triennale on Foro Buonaparte. The title of the exhibition is post-sustainability. Although I generally gush over the ideas generated through the Droog community, I was a bit apprehensive to see what they produced for Milan under this theme seeing as how all the “green” themed shows have been nothing more than disappointing.

Contrary to my apprehensive feelings, the show was wonderful. It was quite small but thought provoking. The two that I enjoy the most are of a new materials nature. The first is a fence for your yard or a highway made of refused plastic bags (see image above). The bags are strung through a series of vertical, flexible cords that are held taught by a metal frame. Depending on the size and density, some bags are layered, some are overlapping, and some stand a lone. Another beauty in this piece is that the control of design and aesthetic is left up to the owner. Now this fence may not keep enemies apart from each other but it has the potential to serve as a sound barrier or simply a way to draw a line.

The second object is a table made of shredded Elle Magazines. Even today in the digital age, somehow we still fall victim to the magazine collection problem. It made we wonder what size chair we could make if everyone pooled all the magazines and paper propaganda collected at this show- certainly a chair no human could mount alone. Most importantly, what I appreciate about this table is that it is attainable and easy to create- any teenager forced to clean up her room and realizes she has a stack of magazines to the ceiling could simply create a vanity table out of them and not throw away a scrap (not to mention have to carry them all downstairs to the trash)!

It is the simplicity and engagement that really makes Droog objects special. I hope that other attendees alike had a similar reaction. If you were there, by all means share your comments with us! For the rest of you, stay posted, I will be reporting more…

Cohda Designs: URE plastic sculptures

Designers today are thinking up new ways to make everyday products out of this excess of recycled materials.   This type of new market gives designers an opportunity to develop new materials, experiment, design, and create. With advances in tools and processes, and an excess of waste we have a clear and direct opportunity.

Cohda Designs a UK based design group has developed a new process for recycled plastic called U.R.E.- Un-cooled Recycled Extrude.  Due to the limitations of pre-manufactured recycled sheets these men invented their own process for melting down raw recyclable trash (plastic packaging) to create a new material.  First they feed the machine materials that they collect form viewers or the community, it spits out small pellets, then they feed that to the melter which spits out a taffy-like extruded rod.  They then sculpt it around a mold to create a functional piece of furniture.  Since discovering that the creation of these chairs makes a great performance, Cohda Designs has taken their packaging eating machine to trade shows around the world.  They call their events the Public Recycling Factory.

Pirwi - Sustainable Furniture With Style!

Pirwi is a Mexico City-based furniture company that operates under sustainable practices. Designer Emiliano Godoy, who has been working in sustainable design for several years, is in charge of the creative direction of the company. Pirwi’s catalog showcases stylish and contemporary pieces that are not only green, but that also offer an interesting aesthetic proposal.
Besides the creation of environmentally compatible products, Pirwi utilizes socially fare labor practices setting itself at the forefront of the sustainable furniture industry.