Giles Miller is
a British designer often referred to as the king of cardboard. Aside from
owning his own design studio that focuses on architectural structures, Giles
creates furnishing products and bags entirely from cardboard. Giles states he
gathered his inspiration to create sustainable design from a magazine article which
stated eco design was boring and the job of saving the planet lied with politicians
not designers. Whilst studying furniture design at Loughborough University Giles
created a cardboard bed platform to raise rough sleepers of the ground and soon
realised that the corrugated card presented good opportunity’s.
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| Paper Handbag (Source: Giles Miller, 2007) |
The bag assembled above is
built from part recycled and partly sustainably sourced cardboard. The card has
been cut at steep angles to leave a surface of elegant swirls on the sides of
the piece. The bags open by simply releasing one fastener on either side at the
top of the case, and these fasteners will allow the overall bag safety.
The contrasting material
selection leaves the card elevated to a platform of exclusivity by the thick
leather strap and chrome buckle fasteners. These bags have been coated with a
fine layer of water resistant spray to protect against the elements, and this
bag is certainly one to be taken out and showcased. Assembled by hand in the
UK, this product uses minimal energy costs.
Giles Miller’s work really
inspires my final major project. His work shows how sustainability and design
can be placed together in the same context. In the future I may want to
experiment with cardboard objects. I could use the laser cutter to build up
each layer of the cardboard imitating Giles Miller’s work. I am also very
curious of whether this particular style of designing could be used in the
production of clothing aside from bags. If not, I wonder if there is a material
out there that is more sustainable than cotton but can be used in the
production of fashion garments.
References
Miller, G. (2007). Paper Handbag.
[Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3559946/Design-Special-The-Sustainable-Designer.html
