The Skin Collection is a reaction to the 25-30 percent waste produced by the furniture industry. The furniture is found on the street or secondhand and modified and then covered in pieces of leather leftovers. What creates this amount of waste are things like the organic shape of the animal, its scratches, damages, scars and none matching colors after dying. This project is fed by the nature of this leather scrap, turning it into random patterns, referring to cell structures and growth in nature. The cover grows slowly around the object where colors blend together. The entire process is done by hand. It merges discarded objects with a skin made out of waste and gives it a new life.
Material: Leather remnants, found objects
All items of Skin Collection are one-offs. Availability, prices and commisions on request.
Stitch is a family of discarded furniture found either on the street or in second hand shops. The project was sedigned to be made in a sheltered workshop. To make a 'perfect' fit is quite a specialist job, that was out of the question. Covering the items with oversized skins and stuffing them like teddy bears, brigs them character. The oversized skins were meant to be hand cut and hand stitched by workers of a 'sheltered workshop'. It appeared to be that they have a very limited concentration span and that they could not work really accurate. This resulted in oversized skins. We took care of the first prototypes in the studio. They wear a hand-stitched skin stuffed with soft fibers. That’s where shape starts to grow.
Material: found objects, cotton fiber
Chair, H85 x W50 x L40 cm.
This chair looks stiff and sturdy, but it adapts itself to the user. Special handmade rubber joints provide this flexibility. Starting point was an old wooden wobbly chair of which the joints got loose over time. By redesigning the joints it is now flexible in all directions. Even after putting a book under one of the legs the chair will adapt and all legs will touch the floor. Special handmade rubber joints provide this flexibility. Starting point was an old wooden wobbly chair of which the joints got loose over time. It was about to collapse... By redesigning the joints the Restless Chairacter is now flexible in all directions. The chair has rigid looks but technical solutions within the joints result in a surprising outcome. A chair for those who can't sit still.
A Restless Chairacter was part of the graduation project at Design Academy Eindhoven and won the 1st prize at D3 Contest IMM Cologne 2009.
Material: rubber, steel
Size: L40 x W40 x H80 cm
Price €2000
Limited Edition of 10
Lightness Of Being is a giant flexible lamp of 3.5m. The inside is full of technique though its look refers to a giant fairy-tale flower from Alice in Wonderland. The base is 75 kg, the stem weighs only 700 grams. This is equal to 1% of its total weight. To switch the light you pull the felt slowly over the stem and the 'flower' closes, and so does the light... The movement of the lamp is based upon the reaction of flowers to light. It seems that flowers hardly move, though when this is filmed in a time lapse you will find out that they have lots of movement in them following the sun. When light comes in only from the side plants can grow in spectacular ways. So can this 3.5-meter long lamp. It will find its way in extreme positions without the technical looks.
The Tapepot evolved from an earlier project named 'conversations'. In second hand shops the items are often organized in groups. These teapots were standing close together. With a roll of tape Pepe merged them into one, this became the shape for making the mold. The inside has merged. Material: Porcelain, glaze
Size: L20 x W30 x H25 cm
The Matka Vase is a traditional Indian water carrier covered in a random pattern of scrap leather. The container has been given a new skin and turned into a vase.
In a reaction to the huge amount of waste of high quality leather created by the furniture industry (up to 30%), Pepe designed the Skin Collection in 2011. Now, in 2012, the Matka Vase is born. The scraps generate a unique and random pattern as every piece has a different shape, giving the Matka a new life by turning waste into a vase.
Using distinctive techniques from his Skin Collection, Matka Vase is produced in his workshop located in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Mumbai, India – providing meaningful jobs, income and hope for the neediest. Matka Vase has gone into production in June 2012 and proceeds from sales are partly used to send street children to school.
From waste to wonder.
Material: stainless steel, leather, glue
Size: ⌀26 x 28cm
