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Newly designed for dynamic, up-and-coming brands, this entry-level package is the perfect platform for launching new products and showcasing innovative solutions in the Architecture and Design (A+D) sector.
GREEN GRADS
GREEN GRADS is a “platform” promoting recent graduates of UK Universities who are confronting the world’s most pressing eco-issues, and eight of them are coming to the Surface Design show on a joint stand, to show innovative bio-materials, sound-absorbing screens made from waste tennis balls, furniture from foraged timbers, along with sustainable woven and printed textiles and dramatic ceramics. All projects are available to order now.
GREEN GRADS’ founder/curator is Barbara Chandler, who for over 25 years was the design editor of the London Evening Standard. She explains: “Our graduates are tackling sustainability, climate change, circular production, waste and pollution, biophilia, bio-diversity and much more. They include engineers, product and furniture designers, material scientists, ceramicists, textile and graphic designers, craftspeople, artists, and film makers.”
GREEN GRADS, which began in 2021, promote these graduates and their projects through shows, films, informal Salons, a website, a YouTube channel and Instagram – and including the fourth cohort of 2024, there are now 200 GREEN GRADS in total. Barbara Chandler adds: “And we are delighted to be invited by director Nickie West to introduce a select bevy of GREEN GRADS to the Surface Design Show. We’ll showcase innovative furniture, fabrics, ceramics and biomaterials, all ready to hit the market. Our GGs are no longer students but assured professionals with the environment as their first priority.”
@greengradsuk
Elena Branch
GREEN GRAD Elena Branch’s Climate Collection of printed fabrics raises awareness of the climate crisis with bold fabrics and prints, inspired by Russian Constructivism. Her strong motifs, confidently expressed in striking abstractions, speak eloquently of environmental perils: melting ice caps, plastic pollution, bleaching of coral reefs. These beautiful and often moving patterns are perfect for both commercial and domestic interiors, where they reveal a commitment to the planet in a striking and original fashion. Cost is £50 a metre, 140cm wide. Fabrics are heavyweight (280gsm) unbleached, organic cotton, which is OKEO-TEX 100 and GOTS certified. The pattern is digitally printed in the UK - a more sustainable way to print fabrics than traditional techniques. The fabric inks carry the OEKO-TEX Eco Passport and are ECOCERT certified. “My passion for the environment is a constantly inspires my designs – I turn factual and statistical data into fascinating and thought-provoking designs.”
Elena Branch, BA Textile Design with Business Studies, University of Brighton, 2020
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Eva Xiste
GREEN GRAD Eva Xiste has invented Nover, a biomaterial made mainly from by-products: woodchips, breadcrumbs and wool from three major waste streams of carpentry, food and farming. Nover has excellent material advantages, with good strength under compression. It is biodegradable, easy to make and has no synthetic binders. It repels water and has good acoustic properties.
Possible uses include insulation and other environmentally-friendly building products, and sustainable caskets and coffins. Callen, a town with 3,000 residents in Ireland, has already demonstrated the uses of Nover in Keogh’s Model Bakery for vessels, display stands, stools and vessels.
Eva Xiste, MA Design for Industry 5.0 , Central Saint Martins, UAL, 2024
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Joanne O’Rourke
The textile practice of GREEN GRAD Joanne O’Rourke respects the environment at every turn. The abstract designs of her fabric designs are inspired by the biodiversity of meadows and marshes. She is exploring waterless dyeing techniques, such as air dyeing and pigment-based digital printing, which minimise water and waste. And her algae-based dyes such as spirulina and chlorella, along with traditional Japanese indigo, produce a vibrant, nature-inspired colour palette – “biodegradable alternatives to synthetic and often-toxic pigments.” Joanne is also experimenting with bioplastics made from cornstarch and agar – “these natural biodegradable materials can create both decorative and functional sustainable surfaces.”
Joanne O’Rourke, BA Textile Design, Norwich University of the Arts, 2024.
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Kurt Alexander
The dramatic forms and textures of GREEN GRAD Kurt’s impressive vessels intentionally evoke the surfaces and vivid colours of coral reefs before the tragic bleaching caused by climate change and warming seas – “this is to raise awareness of the issues marine life faces, and the need for reef conservations and propagation.” His work is underpinned by his own marine fish tanks and his coastal walks and diving. Ongoing, he’s committed to eco-friendly ceramic production, experimenting with wild clay from Lancashire and pit firing without a kiln. He is looking at ways of using factory waste and alternative glazes free from mined resources. And he has already has 12 years experience of commercial ceramic production bringing expertise in slip-casting, glazing and more.
Kurt Alexander, BA 3D Designer Maker, Staffordshire University, 2024.
Mathilde Wittock
Tennis is the world’s fifth most polluting sport – but GREEN GRAD Mathilde Wittock has refined its waste for sophisticated design, painstakingly gathering used balls from businesses and clubs. Halved with an ingenious S-cut and coloured with dyes, these are slotted into plywood for sound-absorbing screens and furniture with an agreeably soft plush feel. “Why remove material from the earth when the planet provides free and abundant natural and man-made waste streams?” Mathilde is committed to circular design which takes into account the entire lifecycle of a product. As a bonus, Mathilde also believes in “sensory design” which engages sight, touch, hearing, and even smell to ratchet up emotional impact and social connection.
Mathilde Wittock, MA Biodesign, Central Saint Martins, UAL, 2023
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Scarlett Farrer
GREEN GRAD Scarlett Farrer’s Field to Fabric collection is hand-woven sustainably and ethically from hand-spun 100% natural fibres. Scarlett explains: “I’ve worked closely with local farmers, collecting their unwanted sheep fleeces and hand spinning them myself into yarn. Inspiration has come directly from the British countryside and landscapes.” Her process is completely circular so fabrics can be composted at end of life, providing nutrients for the earth. She adds: “I’ve had a passion for working with animals since I was a child. Using sheep and alpaca fleeces keeps me in touch with farming. I know exactly where my materials come from and who is making them. And I’ve changed my lifestyle to be more sustainable.” Ongoing, she is building her practice around these interests/principles, and has an ambitious five-year plan which includes cross-country trips to learn about native sheep breeds; sheering and wool handling courses; and collaborating with other emerging makers.
Scarlett Farrer, BA Textile Design with Business Studies, Specialising in Weave, University of Brighton, 2024.
Yahvi Duggal
Aspiring to a practice with zero-waste, GREEN GRAD Yahvi has made bio-materials from organic waste (initially from her college kitchen/café), such as eggshells and banana peel, also adding remnants from her own textile projects. These are woven into beautiful wall-hangings. “My work shows that waste can be a valuable resource. It creates a new perspective on what we throw away.” Yahvi has formidable textile expertise acquired in her native India. For example, she has trained many Indian craft communities in the skills of natural dyeing and was on a panel as a natural dye expert at the All India Artisans and Craftworkers Association (AIACA). Her ambition is to found a crafts community in the UK for training women artisans, offering skill development, artistic collaborations and exhibition opportunities. “I care for both planet and community.”
Yahvi Duggal, MA Textiles, Royal College of Art, 2024.
@yahvi98
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Aaron Mighty
GREEN GRAD Aaron Mighty from South East London makes furniture that respects nature and its materials. Wood for each stool in his Splits and Spills collection is foraged from nearby woodland. The timber then directly shapes designs, so each piece is different – “and has a unique character,” observes Aaron, who is “championing imperfection.” Last year, Aaron completed a week-long training course in timber, woodland management and furniture-making at the Snowdon School of Furniture.
Aaron Mighty, BA Product & Furniture Design, Chelsea College of Arts, UAL, 2024
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