EYE-CATCHING NETS
With climate change being such a concern, sustainability has become more vital in our daily lives than ever. If you’re feeling like you don’t know where to begin, it’s okay, because the good thing is, there are many ways to make a positive impact! This year for Earth Day, we're featuring designers who strive to be sustainable and thoughtful of the environment in their practice. A designer to note, and one of my personal favorites here at SHOP Cooper Hewitt is Italian designer, Luisa Cevese.
Luisa Cevese's Reidzioni design studio re-appropriates production waste to create new materials. She encases materials like wood, fabric scraps, threads, and foliage in polyurethane to create one-of-a-kind fashion pieces and home accessories. Her innovative work is a also a part of Cooper Hewitt's permanent collection. These ordinary materials make a subtle yet bold statement, as each piece has beautiful color, is eco-friendly, and has a great story to tell. Are you starting to see why she’s a favorite of mine?
The truth is, industry creates waste, and lots of it. Cevese finds it important to have her designs brought to life by people who enjoy the process, not machines; she also makes it a point not to discriminate between natural and man-made fibers, so she uses both! My favorite of Cevese's collections use fishing nets. What can I say other than it’s an eye-catching material! It has been transformed into sets of coasters and bags and each piece has an edgy flare. There is an interesting story behind the fishnet: “at the end of each summer, Samuele—a Sicilian fisherman who lives in Salina but spends every summer working in Filicudi —gives Cevese all of his damaged and useless fishing nets. She then repurposes these nets to create unique pieces.”¹ Again, truly unique and sustainable. To top it all off, the polyurethane is very lightweight, soft, and waterproof! So if you’re using a bag or wallet from her collection, know that your belongings will be protected from liquids.
So if you’re wondering how to promote sustainability in your own life, remember, you can always support and invest in the designers that lead us toward a sustainable future.
Posted by Angel
SHOP BLOG is written by the sales associates of SHOP Cooper Hewitt, bringing their singular design expertise into the digital realm.
