FROM WASTE TO OBJECTS
CONCEPT
REDEFINING RESIDUE: THE BIRTH OF NEW MATERIALITY
“From Waste to Objects” is a material-driven exploration that seeks to transform the surplus of industrial textile production into functional beauty. By treating textile waste not as an end-of-life byproduct but as a raw ingredient, this project experiments with the structural boundaries of fabric. Through a rigorous process of blending textiles with innovative binders, the group has developed a new, rigid bio-composite. This material bridges the gap between soft goods and hard accessories, offering a sustainable alternative for home and personal use that honors the efficiency of the Okitex factory while eliminating its waste.
TEAM
System Designer & Spatial Consultant
Bram specializes in solving urban “pain points” where the city meets the landscape. With a background in fine woodworking and design consultancy, his studio acts as a bridge between abstract ideas and complex transitions. Bram designs overarching plans where multiple disciplines collaborate to shape future-oriented perspectives.
Multidisciplinary Designer & Material Researcher
Based in Prague, Barbara’s work explores the intersection of design, the body, and material innovation. Following her studies at Fabricademy Barcelona, she has focused on biomaterials and additive manufacturing. She investigates how living systems and emerging technologies can inspire a new generation of sustainable and thoughtful design.
Industrial Designer & Social Advocate
Trained in wood and interior design, Florian views design as a collaborative tool for identifying real problems and developing social solutions. His experience ranges from high-level industrial design studies in Linz to community service assisting youth with special needs, fostering a design language rooted in compassion and strategic responsibility.
PROCESS
Industrial Immersion: Mapping the Waste
Understanding the workflow from A to Z Our residency started with a group visit to the Okitex factory. Their management team was very kind and showed us the entire process, equipment, facilities, and materials they use, explaining everything about their work from start to finish. We were offered the opportunity to take anything we liked from their waste—both fabrics and packaging—and to come back anytime if we needed more for creating our prototypes. This access was vital for mapping the sheer volume and variety of high-quality textile offcuts available for transformation.
Material Alchemy: Testing the Properties
From soft fibers to rigid structures Over the following days, we worked at the Centre for Design and Innovation, Public Room, together with an excellent mentor who guided and advised us. We focused our energy on experimentation, mixing textile waste with various ingredients and processes to alter its physical state. By layering, binding, and pressing these discarded fibers, we sought to discover a point of rigidity. This phase was characterized by a “hands-on” approach—learning everything we didn’t know through trial, error, and constant sewing.
The Final Object: A New Utility
Crafting sustainable accessories for modern life The result of our research was a new, rigid material that can be used to create a wide range of accessories for the home or for personal use. By successfully stabilizing textile waste into a durable form, we proved that industrial byproducts could be elevated into high-value objects. This process not only addresses the environmental impact of textile waste but also introduces a new aesthetic language where the history of the Okitex factory is embedded in every rigid, functional piece.
EXPERIENCE
