Research and development for LIFE 360

This element of the partnership focuses on prototyping regenerative luxury through design research across disciplines. This new strand incorporates projects, exhibitions and publications working closely with the LVMH Environment team and LIFE 360, the LVMH environment strategy.

Prototyping Creative Circularity for Luxury Tableware

Maison/0 presents a research project designed to revisit luxury tableware with a circular lens. We investigated alternative processes and material sourcing strategies for ceramic, glassware, silversmithing, and tablecloth design. As each craft entails specific environmental challenges, we focused on dedicated lines of inquiry and have identified knowledge gaps where further research will be needed to achieve full circularity.

We are sharing here the first stage of our scoping study and our processes to adopt circular practices for luxury tableware. We worked according to 4 key stages where design can influence the adoption of circular practices: material sourcing, production, use and post-use.

The project will be showcased at the Future Fabrics Expo, 25 and 26 June 2024.

Design Team

Ceramics - Jeffrey Stephen Miller; Glassware - Lulu Harrison; Silversmithing - Max Warren; Textile Design - Carole Collet and Stephanie Rolph; Natural Dye Consultant - Florence Hawkins; Additional support for design production: -Nidkamon Areeratchakul (Weave), Jo Harrision Hall (3D Design), Nicole Chrysikou (Ceramics); Innovation Coordinator - Lucy Bolland; Photography - Paul Cochrane

Glassware, Lulu Harrison for Maison/0

Can we source material waste across local industry sectors to develop a circular glass-making process that reduces energy and removes the use of non-renewable materials?

Can ancient glass making processes inform a new approach to luxury?

Glass making is energy intensive and relies on extractive, finite, raw materials for mainstream large-scale production. With this collection, Lulu Harrison has developed a regional waste material sourcing strategy. It also contributes towards lowering the typical melting range of the raw material batch, thus working towards reducing the carbon emission of glass-making.

With the shape and material design, she celebrates the diversity of colours and textures that resonate with ancestral and historical collections, thus challenging our expectation of transparency in contemporary luxury glassware.

Core objectives:

• Replace finite virgin materials with local and waste materials, taking inspiration from ancient glass making and forgotten crafts
• Reduce carbon footprint by localising production and lowering melting range with a new glass recipe
• Challenge our perception of luxury through a new colour and material narrative

Materials:

• Waste cullet (broken or waste glass)
• Recycled glass
• Wine lees sourced from Kent winemakers Davenport Vineyards (leftover sediment from wine production)
• Biomass ash sourced from Sheffield Hallam University
• Local Kent sand
• Quagga mussel shells sourced from Thames Water (an invasive species in the UK)

With thanks to:

Sheffield/Hallam University Glass Research Centre (special thanks to Prof. Paul Bingham and Dr. Sabrin Samad) for assistance in recipe development, sample batch testing and chemical analysis. Kt Rothe, The Glass Hub and Glass blowers Ben Gough and Abigail Wilderspin. Davenport Vineyards, Oastbrook Estate Vineyard, Westwell wines, Numbers Winery.

Ceramics, Jeffrey Stephen Miller for Maison/0

Can we revalorise the use of historical paper transfer to replace plastic ‘decals’ used in contemporary printed ceramic production?

Can we produce food-safe glazes entirely out of waste materials?

This collection of porcelain ceramic plates focuses on exploring alternatives to plastic ‘decals’ used to print patterns in large-scale ceramic production to replace the traditional hand painting process. Each plate printed with this technique requires the use of a plastic sheet, which is burnt off during the firing process.

With this collection, Jeffrey Miller removes the use of plastic decals by revisiting a traditional transfer technique using rice paper and waste-based pigments from the steel industry. He has also worked with VSB Technical University of Ostrava to develop food-safe glazes made of waste porcelain tableware and glassware, which can be reused back into new glazes at the end of their lifespan.

Core objectives:

• Design to replace the use of plastic decals at the production stage
• Design food-safe glazes with 100% recycled materials

Materials:

• Porcelain
• Glazes made from 100% waste
  • Waste porcelain tableware
  • Waste glassware
  • Brick and cement waste from demolition
• Pigments 100% made from mill scale, a high-volume waste stream from the production of cold-rolled steel
• Rice paper for decal printing to replace the use of plastic

With thanks to:

VSB - Technical University of Ostrava: Hana Ovčačíková, Associate Professor and Senior Researcher, Department of Thermal Engineering; Vlastimil Matějka, Professor and Senior Researcher, Deputy Head, Department of Chemistry and Physico-Chemical Processes; Jozef Vlček, Professor, Senior Researcher, Department of Thermal Engineering, and Director of Research and Development, MATERIALOVY A METALURGICKY VYZKUM s.r.o.

Cutlery Set, Max Warren for Maison/0

Can we design luxury cutlery to reduce usage of non-renewable materials and facilitate disassembly for maintenance, repair, and post-use recycling?

In Western luxury settings, cutlery is predominantly made from extractive metals: silver and stainless steel. With this cutlery collection, silversmith and designer Max Warren explores the material and aesthetic potential of upcycled silver and circular timber to design innovative, contemporary, and functional tableware.

Engineered to be disassembled for ease of repair and recyclability, the collection is produced by combining digital design and manufacturing processes with the traditional fine metalworking crafts of hand-forging, fabrication and inlay.

Core objectives:

• Design for disassembly to facilitate maintenance, repair, and post-use recycling
• Design with waste or non-extractive reclaimed materials
• Design for ergonomic use

Materials:

• Black walnut timber from Fallen and Felled (timber sourced from fallen, damaged or dead trees in London)
• 100% ‘AgAIN’ silver reclaimed from medical X-Rays by Betts Metals, UK
• Upcycled stainless steel (from unwanted or broken cutlery)
• Osmo Top Oil finish – (food safe, natural plant-based oils, very low VOC)

With thanks to:

Jo Harrison Hall, Chris Howes, Campbell Muir, Frida Munro, Lachlan Tomlin, Kazuya Tsuji, Adam Hewitt, Sally Collins and the BA Jewellery Design Team at Central Saint Martins.

Tablecloth, Carole Collet and Stephanie Rolph for Maison/0 with Florence Hawkins, Natural Dye Consultant

How do we reinvent the role of the traditional white tablecloth for a new circular luxury context?

How can circular and regenerative material sourcing inform alternative design for the table landscape?

Tablecloths have both a functional and an aesthetic function and have long been part of the code for luxury dining. However they require intensive laundry and ironing and have a direct carbon footprint related to energy and water usage in addition to their material origin.

We present a range of design options that repurpose the interface between the table and the tablecloth to reduce the environmental impact of this historical artefact.

These 4 design options range from exploring alternative materials (organic, regenerative and luxury deadstock) to reducing material use and re-imagining the tablecloth in a way that minimises laundry requirements.

Objectives:

• Remove the need for energy and water-intensive laundry (no tablecloth)
• Design multifunctional napkins/placemats dyed with food waste
• Source textile materials from organic, regenerative or deadstock
• Celebrate the benefits of edible weeds in terms of biodiversity (hand-embroidery design)

Materials for table (which is designed to travel flat-packed and has removable legs):

• Local and circular bio-sourced timber: made with London plane tree fallen due to storm damage in Soho, sourced and fabricated by Falllen and Felled
• Osmo wood oil finish

Materials for multifunctional napkins/placemats:

• Regenerative organic cotton from SÖKTAŞ
• Organic linen
• Organic cotton sewing threads from Ecological Textiles
• Organic cotton from Cabes
• Rain-fed organic cotton-linen from Papillon Bleu
• Deadstock linen-silk, hemp and linen from Nona Source

Objectives:

• Support genetic biodiversity and organic agriculture - cotton breeder Sally Fox reintroduced the use of heritage coloured cotton plants that grow in ranges of green and brown
• Mono-material
• Reduce material use, energy and water intensive laundry/ironing (compared to full tablecloth)

Materials:

• 100 % organic naturally coloured grown cotton bred by Sally Fox, spun by Taishoboseki Japan
• No dyes
• Grey yarn is naturally coloured-grown cotton, mordanted with iron

Objectives:

• Imagine a new table landscape by dressing the table on the corners instead of fully covering the table to reduce material, water and energy use for laundry
• Source from organic and regenerative agriculture

Materials:

• Regenerative organic cotton (SÖKTAŞ)

Objectives:

• Source from 100% organic regenerative cotton
• Mono-material
• Tablecloth ‘on the roll'

Materials:

• 100% white organic regenerative cotton. This form of agriculture benefits biodiversity and is more climate resilient

Processes:

• Bespoke limited edition jacquard weave produced by SÖKTAŞ

With thanks to:

SÖKTAŞ

For further info please contact: l.bolland@csm.arts.ac.uk