A restaurant from Finland and fashion designer are going the extra mile in repurposing waste—in the most beautiful ways.
1 EILEEN FISHER
Eileen Fisher has been taking back their clothes to resell since 2009, which just goes to show the longevity of the product. In cases where clothes and scraps of fabric were not longer usable, longtime designer for the brand, Sigi Ahl has been exploring ways to turn them into new textiles.
At the show I saw some of the results: wall hangings and pillows covered in a vibrant felting material, the culmination of the process. The brand’s “Waste No More” campaign aims for total sustainability by year 2020. Good luck! Seems like it’s already on the right track. eileenfisher.com
2 NOLLA
The Finnish restaurant Nolla participated in Wanted Design’s pop-up Zero Waste Bistro, supplying nice bites, cocktails, and a fun environment to take it all in. Nolla is the first zero-waste restaurant in the Nordic region, and they wanted to show how it is done.
Co-curators of the space were Finnish designers Linda Bergroth and Harri Koskinen who created the dining area using all sustainable materials. The funky blue walls in the space by ReWall were composed of recycled food packets. This material is moisture and mold resistant, and is stronger than gypsum or even cement boards.
Durat supplied the table surfaces, a unique, sustainable solid surface material which contains recycled post industrial plastics and is 100% recyclable.
The Finnish Design Shop shared their design classics, like the Alvar Aalto A110 pendant lights, all-white Stool 60s, plus dishware by Kaj Franck’s Teema in a new dotted grey. These objects are created to last a lifetime and beyond.
As for the food, the chefs of Restaurant Nolla presented a menu comprised of local and organic ingredients, in addition to commonly overlooked byproducts of the food system. They also did themed pairings: seafoods matched with materials made from seaweed and algae; forest foods and materials from mushrooms; and field foods with materials like flax and rice. Gin cocktails by Kyrö Distillery, a gin from Finland mixed with rosemary and fresh cranberries—was served in compostable cups, of course.
I wish NYC would get better at this! Every time I get take-out I mourn the amount of plastic and unnecessary condiments. There should be a law against it.
See the other posts from our wanderings during NYCxDesign. The ICFF Show Report, Wanted Design’s top design picks, Soho Design District finds, and the DDC and Herman Miller parties.
