Will your next pair of shoes be made of fungus or pineapples? How fashion brands like Adidas, Lululemon, The North Face and home designers are looking to nature for sustainable materials
- The list of natural sources that can now be made into sustainable materials for the home and fashion industry is mind blowing, from algae and feathers to seashells, leftover corn and seaweed
- Mycelium-based leather Mylo is already being used by brands such as Adidas and Stella McCartney, while sintered glass – made by crushing up discarded windscreens – is used in stylish wall tiles
At first glance, Nina Edwards Anker’s sconces and chandeliers look like ancient scrolls of parchment, or sheets of buttery toffee, wrapped around LED bulbs.
Come closer – or just ask the New York-based designer/architect – and you’ll find they’re actually made of algae.
She came up with the idea while working on a doctoral research project on materials and lighting at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, and has now created a collection of sconces, lamps and even a chandelier named “Chlorophyta”.
Anker chose not to disguise the dried algae – her shades have all the imperfections of their natural state, and the honey-toned, translucent colours.
“From the beginning, we wanted to keep the integrity of the material, and display its unique properties,” Anker says.
She is one of many designers thinking beyond traditional materials, finding ways to meld design with sustainable sourcing and production methods.
Anker and her team at NEA Studios are trying out other natural materials too.