Designer Marie-Louise Hellgren at work – an innovative design process driven by ethical and environmental values.

Upcycling is part of the growing field of circular design, furniture and fashion. Sustainable life styles and circular economies will require upcycling in ways and magnitudes that we have only seen glimpses of until now. In essence, upcycling is not simply about creating something new from wasted material, but rather about recognizing the inherent value of any material and to design unique and appreciated products – ideally with practical, universal and long-lasting values.

Marie-Louise Hellgren is an international pioneer in the upcycling movement, as well as an internationally renowned designer with many well-known and dearly loved designs in her portfolio. In fact, her work can be found in most Swedish homes, as well as on the international scene. With a clear ethic and inspiration from the 16 circular fashion principles (see circularfashion.com), she will continue to explore and advance the field of circular design through new collaborations and products ranges within interior design.

This week (on February 10th), Marie-Louise Hellgren will hold a presentation at the Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair in Stockholm (“Showing Scandinavia Feb 7-11, 2017“). In her presentation, Marie-Louise Hellgren will tell the story of her most appreciated upcycling products, such as the “Pink One”, “Lilla Snåland”, “Hållbar Hållplats”, and her HeartEarth project. Her design work is the result of an explorative, innovative, experiential and interactive process, always driven by the desire to create modern products with universal functions for everyday use, and inspired by Nature’s subtle beauty and inner genius. To summarize, Marie-Louise sees possibilities where others see problems. “Give me worn out furniture or leftover fabrics, scrap metal or airbag fabric from the factory, and I will create something new,” says Marie-Louise, who remains at the frontline of the upcycling movement in Sweden and internationally.

For more about Marie-Louise Hellgren and her upcycling and design, please visit www.marielouisehellgren.com.

Marie-Louise Hellgren at FORMEX with her exhibition RE:DO, autumn 2015.

Marie-Louise Hellgren’s famous design piece “Pink One”, made from upcycled air-bag fabrics.

Designer Marie-Louise Hellgren and her famous stool “Lilla Snåland”, made from upcycled spill material from Stolab.