This city designer attempts to create workable and alternative lifestyle products using food waste
Published: 22nd June 2022 07:41 AM | Last Updated: 22nd June 2022 07:41 AM | A+ A A-
Ylem’s natural fibre leather footwear.
As a child, designer Midushi Kochhar would always feel drawn towards seemingly unimportant objects. “I had a fascination towards things that were lying around, which others weren’t paying attention to,” recounts the 29-year-old. This curiosity to experiment with such trivial items combined with a master’s degree in Industrial Design led Kochhar to establish Ylem, an Okhla-based research and design practice that focuses on crafting products with sustainable life-cycles and value chains. Shedding light on the thought process that made her take the first step towards building Ylem, Kochhar explains, “My educational background encourages me to solve problems. I like to create products that do so but that contradicts my mindset of consuming minimally. I try to find the right balance between aesthetics, production, capacity, reusability, and environmental impact.”
Taking the sustainable route Design is everywhere and, no matter how inconspicuous, it makes our life easier. However, given the tonnes of waste being generated and the non-renewable resources being exploited, the future requires us to shift to sustainable design practices that solve problems but also have little or no adverse impact on the environment. With principles of green design at the core, Ylem thus works with food waste-based design to create functional products—across domains of décor and fashion—that are “as biodegradable as possible”. As a circular venture, the team believes that “waste is a design flaw” and therefore, waste generated by one industry can be used as a resource in the next industry or another product. “Every now and then, some experiment we do results in a scalable material. We offer this as a bespoke application or something that can be for mass consumption,” shares Kochhar.
Towards a green future Of their many innovations till date, the list includes eggware—a ceramic and concrete-like material made using egg shells combined with an algae-based bio-binder. The result is used to create bespoke pieces that are lightweight, water-absorbent, and biodegradable. Giving us an insight into crafting the technique, Kochhar shares, “I was experimenting with kitchen waste and different kinds of bio-binders. A lot of concoctions later, one of them worked.” Ylem also has plumewear—a surface material made from upcycled chicken feathers. The team uses waste feathers and their binding strength to create bioplastics that are applicable in several functional and decorative settings. Kochhar has also perfected Hasiroo, a natural fibre made from the leaf sheaths of the Areca Palm tree. Ylem uses this fibre to make vegan slippers.
These innovations root from the brand’s attempt to promote the idea of going ‘glocal’. “Locally, we have enough waste, there is enough stuff around us that we can use to make a profitable business which is not just good for the environment but also for the venture,” Kochhar explains. Reflecting on the need to create suitable alternatives ‘now’, Kochhar concludes, “Alarming people does not work; we need to present the market with workable solutions. I am not saying that eggware will completely replace ceramics… we are not proposing a complete shift but if there is a small amount of material that can be saved or reused, then those changes are possible within the current industry.”
Disclaimer : We respect your thoughts and views! But we need to be judicious while moderating your comments. All the comments will be moderated by the newindianexpress.com editorial. Abstain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks. Try to avoid outside hyperlinks inside the comment. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines.
The views expressed in comments published on newindianexpress.com are those of the comment writers alone. They do not represent the views or opinions of newindianexpress.com or its staff, nor do they represent the views or opinions of The New Indian Express Group, or any entity of, or affiliated with, The New Indian Express Group. newindianexpress.com reserves the right to take any or all comments down at any time.
Droupadi Murmu files nomination papers for presidential election
Amid Maharashtra political crisis, MVA releases funds worth crores for development works in state
Samsung fined $14 million in Australia for misleading ads about Galaxy smartphones
Gujarat riots: SC dismisses Zakia Jafri's plea against SIT clean chit to Narendra Modi
Afghanistan earthquake: India vows to provide assistance to Afghan people at UN
India reports 17,336 fresh Covid-19 cases, single-day rise after four months
The Morning Standard | Dinamani | Kannada Prabha | Samakalika Malayalam | Indulgexpress | Edex Live | Cinema Express | Event Xpress
Contact Us | About Us | Careers | Privacy Policy | Search | Terms of Use | Advertise With Us
Home | Nation | World | Cities | Business | Columns | Entertainment | Sport | Magazine | The Sunday Standard