FUROSHIKI Collection
Responsible Innovation Projects
Within the framework of our Sustainable Design Laboratory, El Espartano presents a new collection of design objects that we have created together with industrial designer Luciana González Franco. This new collaboration began with the idea of exploring upcycling. One of Luciana’s passions is to recover and reuse materials for the creation of new objects. On this occasion, she worked with the design team at El Espartano to develop Furoshiki. Achieving a balance between design and the use of scrap materials, Furoshiki is a collection of everyday objects that originated with the idea of finding new functionality for the remnants from El Espartano’s carpet tiles. The collection is inspired by the traditional Japanese art of fabric wrapping, furoshiki, in which items are wrapped using squares of fabric. By folding and tying the fabric in different ways, a single object can serve many purposes. In Luciana’s interpretation of furoshiki, the carpet tiles are transformed into the seating and containers that make up the collection. The pieces have soft curves and simple lines that bring the language of the material to life. With the premise of reusing materials and working in three dimensions, the project developed through a trial-and-error process that allowed the designers to understand the structural possibilities of the tiles as a material. The challenge was to find the best shape and to re(use) the materials to create pieces that are consistent with the company’s philosophy. Through recovering discarded materials and giving them new meaning, Furoshiki promotes caring for our environment and speaks of object permanence and traditions over time.