IIDA – Perspective Fall/Winter 2019 - 33

Photos by: (left) Mike Sakas, (right) Courtesy of Google. (below) vladimir_n/Getty Images, Shalini Misra Chakra Riverside

at materials, looking at the circular economy, for example,
I think we do a much better job of that."
Vo agrees that interior design is leading the
sustainability charge. "One of the interesting
conversations that keeps recurring with industry people
is they keep saying, 'You guys have figured it out and
you understand it, and you guys are about 10 years ahead
of the fashion industry.' I think the fashion industry is
starting that conversation. I say starting because they've
been talking about it for years, but it's still in such a
nascent stage right now. It's just starting to understand
how incredibly impactful the fashion industry is."
For Labib, much of the credit falls on his clients for
pushing this agenda forward. They are now demanding
to know the origins and custody of materials in their
projects. "I don't think any designer has done a project
Google's Softwear exhibit at Milan Design Week in 2018 was a
combination of interiors and fashion.
without really knowing where things are coming from," he
says. "[Clients] want to know that now, and it's always a
But this sophisticated tracking technology is more
very important factor in our field."
than just a powerful marketing tool aimed at designers.
The trustworthiness of materials is one of the most
As Jessi Baker, CEO and founder of Provenance in
important developments changing the future of both
London, points out, when a manufacturer like DSMindustries-especially as new technologies are making
Niaga can reliably certify what materials are used in
supply chains more transparent than ever before.
its products, it can easily resell and thus reuse scrap
For example, one technology company, Provenance,
material like recycled polyester, "since buyers know
uses blockchain to gather and share information on a
what's being presented, giving way to a circular
product's journey. The company has worked
economy business structure."
with London-based fashion designer Martine
Jarlgaard, who produced the world's first fully
The Tech Factor
blockchain-tracked garment, and DSMBut the afterlife of materials is only one way that
Niaga, a Dutch company that redesigns
fashion and interior design are drawing closer.
carpets and other products so the material
According to Vo, both industries have
used in them can easily be recovered and
flocked to the customization now offered
used again.
Amgad Labib

"We completed a London restaurant, Chakra
Riverside, last year where we took inspiration for
seating, curtains, mosaic tiling, and accents from
the violet, lavender, and sky blue hues that were
taking center stage on the summer catwalks
of New York, Milan, Paris, and London and the
2018 Pantone Color of the Year, Ultra Violet.
We also incorporated gem tones in a nod to the
jewelry seen on the catwalks, such as amethyst,
tanzanite, grape garnet, and sapphire."
-Shalini Misra, founder and creative director,
Shalini Misra Ltd., London

Credit

"For a recent luxury train car project, I
was inspired specifically by the plaid,
houndstooth, and other traditional patterns of
men's suits in the 'golden age' of train travel.
This visual time travel also inspired a bench
that looks like an old-fashioned strapped
suitcase. Bits and pieces of historic elements,
such as the tailored stitching of a glove
replicated in the stitching of a modern dining
chair-these are the things that really make a
project sing."
-Aja Baldwin, IIDA

fall/winter 2019

perspective

33
IIDA – Perspective Fall/Winter 2019

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