Fernando Laposse

Luffa Divider

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Previously shown at Basel 2021.

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Description/

Loofah is the fruit from a tropical vine that is related to pumpkins and cucumbers and grows vertically attaching itself to trees. Once this fruit matures it is then dried and harvested, leaving a xylem of fibbers behind which is mainly used for scrubbing.

Each of the objects in this series exploits one or many of the qualities of the material, like lightness, translucency, heat insulation, texture, shock absorption, etc.

Overall, the project aimed to push the association we have with the material beyond the realm of the bathroom to be present and perform other roles in the rest of the house giving it a new perceived value.

Fernando Laposse

designer

Fernando Laposse (1988) is a London-based Mexican designer, he trained in Central Saint Martins as a product designer. Fernando specializes in transforming humble natural materials into refined design pieces. He has worked extensively with overlooked plant fibers such as sisal, loofah, and corn leaves. He often works with indigenous communities in his native Mexico to create local employment opportunities and raise awareness about the challenges they face in a globalized world. His projects are informative and educational addressing topics such as the environmental crisis, the loss of biodiversity, community dissolution, migration, and the negative impacts of global trade in local agriculture and food culture. He does so by documenting the issues and announcing possible resolutions through the transformative power of design. His projects have been exhibited in the Triennale di Milano, Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, The Design Museum in London, Victoria and Albert, the World Economic Forum, and Miami Basel to name a few. His work is held in the permanent collections of the V&A and SF MoMA.