Sustainability and the future of design in the luxury sector.
I design and create beautiful products and experiences in the luxury goods sector that enable a shift towards a more sustainable and responsible future.
The Circular Economy.
Designing out waste for long-term material life.
While it is likely that we will run out of the materials that we drill, mine, or otherwise extract from our planet if we continue in the way that we do now, there is already enough material in circulation to last us forever if we apply closed-loop, circular, principles. By encouraging reuse and recycling to reduce waste through good design, it is possible for material value to be recaptured, keeping materials in use for much longer periods of time.
Luxury products are typically designed and made to last us multiple lifetimes, however from the packaging to the precious metals and other materials used, including serviceable components, there is the potential for large impacts on our environment. The process of designing out waste in the creation of luxury products, including watches and jewellery, is an area that I am highly experienced in.
If you are looking to increase the sustainability of your existing luxury goods, or intend to launch new products with recycled or re-used materials, let me know what you have in mind!
Using Bio-based Materials.
Lowering our impact on the planet through increasing the uses of organic and natural materials.
Before synthetic materials came about with the advent of the industrial age, bio-based materials derived from plants, animals and other living organisms were widely used by humans to construct the world around them. With environmental pressures building, biomaterials have recently moved to the mainstream after many years confined to small-scale experimental projects. According to architects, designers, and manufacturers, increasing our uses of bio-based materials can act as building blocks for a new low-carbon economy.
Across all industries the applications for biomaterials are constantly growing as we go through a rapid era of material innovation. We have already mycelium used as packaging and as a plant-based leather, while bio-ceramics and other bio-composites provide longer-lasting options for product design and development. Materials which can sequester CO2 rather than just emitting it have recently been backed by a wave of big-name investors and with growing investment, manufacturers have been able to ramp up their production capabilities while lowering their prices, making the range of biomaterials on offer more readily accessible and diverse.
We are at the beginning of a new era of integrating bio-based materials within the luxury sector as they move from trend to reality, with exciting opportunities for design and innovation. To explore these design opportunities with me, get in touch.
Blockchain, NFTs, and digital innovation.
Tracking digital and physical products throughout their lifecycle.
With the ever-changing demands of consumers, blockchain, NFTs, and other digital technologies are able to address long-standing industry challenges by improving data management, enhancing supply chain operations, and reducing the risk of counterfeits and grey markets. In particular, blockchain gives retailers, manufacturers, and end-users unprecedented transparency, traceability, and tradability in retail, fashion, and luxury supply chain management. While greater transparency enables companies to share claims with their consumers to improve authenticity and enhance consumer trust, and companies can also track the entire provenance of their products from origin to point-of-sale, blockchain can also enable non-fungible assets to be tokenised through NFTs, that that can be held, purchased, exchanged and traded at any time, anywhere.
Sustainability has gone from a ‘nice-to-have’ to a necessity, with 66% of global consumers and 73% of millennials willing to pay more for sustainable goods. By tokenising physical assets and allowing consumers to see from where their items are sourced, retailers are using blockchain technology to redefine luxury and customer experience. Blockchain has an ability to track any digital or physical product throughout its lifecycle, creating the potential to support the sustainable and ethical production and consumption of any commodity on a global scale. If you are considering integrating blockchain with the design of your luxury goods, get in touch to explore what that might mean.
