Aquafil, a global leader in synthetic fibers production and the creator of ECONYL® nylon, is excited to announce that the ECONYL x Parsons Designing for the Future project won Interior Design magazine’s Best of Year 2022 Student Award. This award recognizes the next generation of talented designers whose work is shaping the future—in and beyond the industry.
“We’re so proud of this group of students who represent the future of sustainability and their creativity to develop award-winning projects using ECONYL yarn,” said Giulio Bonazzi, CEO and chairman of Aquafil Group. “Our core belief at Aquafil is to design with the end in mind, which encourages designers and manufacturers to think through the process of how various products can be deconstructed at the end of their useful life.”
Aquafil began its partnership with the MFA Textiles program at Parsons School of Design, one of the world’s leading art and design schools, to encourage the students to challenge the status quo. Each student created an innovative design made with ECONYL regenerated nylon that can be deconstructed and recycled at the end of its life. The graduating class is made up of students from various backgrounds representing fashion design, fine arts and interior design.
The projects included fashion items, naturally dyed yarn, lighting fixtures and art constructions. The collaboration between Parsons and Aquafil allowed students to learn more about the complete life cycle of a product and find ways to repurpose materials to reduce waste creatively.
“Winning the 2022 Best of Year Student Award is an incredible experience, and it validates the endless creativity we can contribute within the textile industry to reduce waste and pollution,” said Parsons School of Design student Alyssa Schulman. “The inspiration behind our projects was to focus on the circular properties of ECONYL nylon and showcase the versatility of futuristic designs created from materials that can be reused and recycled.”
“Working with Aquafil encouraged my students to reconceptualize the use of sustainable textile objects and products and challenged them to rethink how the industry can lead with more eco-friendly practices,” said Preethi Gopinath, program director for MFA Textiles at Parsons. “I’m beyond proud of each student, amazed by their ability to create forward-thinking designs and excited to see how they will represent the future of sustainable design.”
About Aquafil
The Aquafil Group is a leading manufacturer of synthetic fibers committed to doing its part to propel the design industry into a circular economy. In 2011, the ECONYL Regeneration System was created after years of research and development and a simple idea to turn our waste problem into a solution. ECONYL empowers designers to create new products, collections and projects without tapping into new resources. It is used by more than 2,500 brands across fashion, carpet, interiors and automotive industries. The Group is present in eight countries and in three different continents, with more than 2,800 employees at 20 production sites in Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Thailand, China, Japan and Chile.
About ECONYL Regenerated Nylon
ECONYL is a brand of Aquafil. It is nylon made 100% from recycled waste instead of oil and is regenerable an infinite number of times without any compromise in quality. ECONYL nylon helps divert global waste streams that would otherwise pollute the Earth such as carpet, textile scraps, fishnets, and industrial plastic. Designers use ECONYL nylon to produce a wide range of fashion and interiors products such as carpets, chair, swimwear, eyewear and more. The possibilities are endless. For more information, visit www.econyl.com or @econyl.design on Instagram.
About Parsons School of Design
Parsons School of Design at The New School is one of the leading institutions for art and design education in the world. Based in New York but active around the world, the school offers undergraduate and graduate programs in the full spectrum of art and design disciplines, as well as online courses, degree and certificate programs. Critical thinking and collaboration are at the heart of a Parsons education. Parsons graduates are leaders in their respective fields, with a shared commitment to creatively and critically addressing the complexities of life in the 21st century.
