Welcome to Utopia: The way to sustainability

By Emma Chiu and Robin Key 13 : 01 : 2011 Sustainability : Heimtextil : Frankfurt

Frankfurt – In a reminder of the importance of sustainability and ethics, Anne Marie Commandeur and Arie Vervelde of stijlinstituut Amsterdam have curated an optimistic and experiential walkthrough at Heimtextil in hall 11.1, stands D11–D31, called Green Exhibition – Welcome to Utopia.

‘The general colour palette is a very sober and basic white, cream and beige,’ Commandeur tells LS:N Global. ‘And when it’s not the colours are green, orange and brown, which is very 70s and 80s.’ The familiarity of the colour palette hints at nostalgia. ‘People feel for natural products,’ says Commandeur.

The challenge when sourcing the sustainable textiles was that everything had to be certified. Commandeur observes how companies claim they have transparency, but very few meet the standards. ‘Brands will soon be forced to be more transparent,’ believes Commandeur. ‘They will realise consumers are more aware of the environment and that it costs less to go green.’

For more examples of how designers are coming up with sustainable solutions, read our Prohibition Culture report.

LS:N Global’s Emma Chiu is attending the Heimtextil exhibition in Frankfurt and will be reporting on the show throughout the week.