22–25 september
bargehouse, oxo tower wharf, london




the brands of 2022

In 2022, Material Matters showcased a curated mix of over 40 exhibitors to celebrate the importance of materials and their ability to shape our lives. The selection included global brands, makers, designers, manufacturers, and artists working in materials that ranged from recycled aluminium, clay, wood and glass to orange peel, roots and sugar.


Sophie thomas

  • ROOM 4

MATERIAL DESIGN, TEXTILES. room 4

As a designer, Sophie Thomas has spent the last two decades fascinated by the way advances in manufacturing have blithely generated waste as a by-product of consumption.

She investigates waste through creative processes; creating ink from waste carbon and vessels from waste glass, through environmental science; dismantling shoes, laptops, oil rigs etc and analysing lifecycles (being the first designer to be awarded chartership in waste management), and as a garbologist; investigating why design encourages wasteful habits.

At Material Matters 2022, she will show Rematerialise Library, a collection of materials in different states of recovery, which she has gathered travelling around the world visiting waste and recycling sites. The selection on show here is part of a resource to show off their beauty and better understand the processes. There is still potential in these vessels – a possible range of new materials for use by designers and manufacturers. 

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