pepe heykoop: leather loops stool + matka vase

pepe heykoop at the IFFS international furniture fair singapore portrait © designboom

amsterdam-based designer pepe heykoop has further expanded his ‘skin collection‘ with two new pieces: the ‘leather loops’ stool and ‘matka’ vessels. the works are heykoop’s reaction to the 25-30% of waste that is produced within the furniture industry. together with the tiny miracles foundation, heykoop has set-up a workshop in mumbai, india, where he collaborates with adults from the slums to construct his designs. part of the profits from the sales of the furniture they produce together goes towards educating the children of the community. 

leftover scraps of leather are rolled into seats for ‘leather loops’ image © designboom

for the ‘leather loops’ stools, rejected skins are cut into straps and rolled-up in different ways to form the seats. in this way, the rounded form reveals the end grain of the leather which brings texture to its surface, with all damages and color difference hidden within.

‘matka’ vase image © designboom

the most recent addition to the ‘skin collection‘ are the ‘matka’ vases, made from used water vessels from india. pepe has asked the community to exchange their used water vessels for new ones, and revitalized the vases using discarded leather.

blue version of ‘mataka’ image © designboom

‘leather lampshades’ uses soft lambskin leather to form shapes which refer to old industrial lamps.  image © designboom

see designboom’s previous coverage of the ‘leather lampshades‘.

installation view of pepe heykoop’s exhibition at singaplural image © designboom

pepe heykoop graduated from the design academy eindhoven department of living, after which he started his design studio.  his alternative use of materials and tendency to recycle and reuse existing parts has won him recognition and awards. 

‘skin collection’ was displayed at both ‘platform’ – the young talent zone at the international furniture fair singapore (IFFS) 2012  as well as in the design*scape program of singaplural, a design trail which hosts exhibitions at various locations throughout singapore’s city centre.

the chair uses discarded or damaged pieces from leather production image © designboom

connected office chairs image © designboom

international furniture fair singapore / ASEAN furniture show (IFFS/AFS) the international furniture fair singapore, held in conjunction with the ASEAN furniture show (IFFS/AFS), began in 1981 and has since come to be regarded by industry experts as asia’s most prestigious furniture trade show. IFFS/AFS provides an effective marketing platform for regional companies to venture into the global market. as a testimony to the quality of the show, IFFS/AFS is the first asian-based international furniture fair to be accepted as a member of the elite union des foires internationales, a paris-based international authority on trade fairs. in addition, it is the only furniture trade event in singapore to be awarded the ‘approved international fair’ status by the singapore tourism board. IFFS/AFS is set to become even more comprehensive for the furniture players, with the addition of the inaugural deco asia and hospitality asia developed to expand the scope of the show.