Material Innovation and Textile Research
Material Innovation projects done during my Master's at Central Saint Martins' Material Futures course, and Textiles projects done during BA years at NABA Milan.
AIR JORDAN BioDeGrad - Using Italian Orange Waste to Create a Biodegradable Jordan Shoe - CSM Graduation Project
*This project is dedicated to Nike but not sponsored/affiliated to the brand
Air Jordan sneakers (known simply as Jordans) have seen an incredible market rise in recent years, particularly in 2017 thanks to a collaboration between the historic basketball brand and the rising Off-White. Although the sneakers industry is constantly growing and trying to become more inclusive, the Jordan brand’s choices of material are still mostly based on leather or plastic-based alternatives. This excludes vegan and vegetarian fans, and those that are simply interested in sustainability or environmental issues.
Nike launched the Move to Zero campaign in 2019 intending to go zero-carbon, although the final pieces don’t seem to have enjoyed the same success and appreciation, arguably due to their design and material/colourway choice.
As a former basketball player and vegetarian sneaker collector, I have always been looking for leather and plastic-based sneaker alternatives. In the past few years as a Foot Locker employee, I have also come to realise that I am not the only one who is interested in sustainable sneakers, especially Jordans and Nike, so I decided to experiment myself.
This project aims to show that we can have a viable vegan alternative material without polluting the planet with plastic-based faux leathers, and we can make Jordan sneakers out of it.
DESIGNING IN THE RED ZONE - CSM MAMF
CSM's MA Material Futures project done during the first Covid lockdown.
I decided to go back to my hometown, Brescia that was back-then the worst affected city by the pandemic.
We were locked in a red zone where nobody could enter or exit, not even couriers, meaning that I had to experiment with materials I could find in my house.
Using old yarns and fabric scraps from University years I have created a Chanel-like jacket, documenting the reality of a designer in residence.
INTO THE NET - CSM MAMF
The first brief launched at Material Futures was to analyse a traditional craft that we felt close to and create a sustainable development/further help for the community.
I chose Monteisola, an island in the middle of the lake where I grew up, Iseo, in Northern Italy. This isolated community that has no cars is still known for their net-making, fishing, and olive oil.
Collaborating with traditional Retifici and Museo della Rete, I have created a material and yarn made with olive oil waste (pits and leaves) that can be used to produce sporting nets.
