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Framing leather

FOSTERING DIY-MATERIALS
EXPLORATION IN BERLIN

Magdalena Milly
Supervisor: Dr. Valentina Rognoli
Matricola: 872256
Politecnico di Milano, School of Design
Product Service System Design
2018/2019
Framing Leather 3

Abstract
The reversed role of a designer in a material creation
process through DIY-Materials and the pressuring duty
of cities as key actors towards a sustainable future open
up design opportunities to create alternative materials.
In this paper I elaborate on the places that can inform,
inspire, connect and enable designers to start a tinkering
process in cities apart from their homes.
Framing leather as a material, I introduce Material
Maps, a tool to foster DIY-material exploration in cities.
The map presents a starting point for future designers
exploring the city in order to create an alternative
material. Taking inspiration from the vegan hub Berlin
this paper focuses on leather from vegetable sources.
During this study multi-level research methods,
inspired by the methodologies of Materials Experience,
DIY-Materials, the Fab City project and Service Design
tools were used to define the material, understand its
context and the underlying system, map case studies
of alternative materials, immerse into the world of
DIY-Materials in Berlin and map places.
Through this project we can learn about DIY-Materials
exploration in cities on the basis of leather alternatives
in Berlin. Taking the tool as a framework, it shows
potentiality to be scaled to other materials and cities.

KEYWORDS: DIY-Materials, Leather Alternatives,

Tinkering with Materials, Fab City, Self-produce, Maps
Index 5

ABSTRACT

PREFACE

BACKGROUND

METHODOLOGIES
Materials Experience
DIY-Materials
Fab City

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT LOGIC

DEFINING LEATHER AS A MATERIAL

Defining leather
Different leather types and their material properties
Leather, a starting point for tinkering

THE CONTEXT OF LEATHER

Leather market
Leather lifecycle, its problems and solutions
Leather system, its actors & drivers

LEATHER FROM VEGETABLE SOURCES

Manufacturing leather from vegetable sources
Growing leather from vegetable sources

THE CITY, NEW BOUNDARIES FOR VEGETABLE LEATHER DEVELOPMENT

Cities as sources for material development
Berlin, a starting point for leather from vegetable sources
Problem Framing

LEATHER CITY MAP, FOSTERING DIY-MATERIAL EXPLORATION IN BERLIN

Idea of a leather city map
Maps, tools for orientation
Exploring Berlin’s leather places
Logic of the map
Use Case of the map
Context of the map

FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
6 Preface

my leather story
Materials are the building blocks of our man-made
world, a fascinating complex array of atoms assembled
into objects, buildings, cities and countries. For a long
time my relationship as a designer with materials was,
well let‘s call it distant. I was fascinated by them and
fond of touching different surfaces and I more or less
knew how to apply them and transform them into
objects.
The context of Materials Experience and DIY-Materials
challenged this ‘worldview’. All of a sudden I was part
of the creation process, it was dirty, hands-on and I
was really proud of the result.
Dipping deeper into the field I realized it was not so
unrelated to Service Design and could be easily merged
into a final work for my master thesis.

At that time I moved to Berlin for an internship. Being

immersed into a vegan hotspot and constantly feeling
a little guilty of enjoying a steak every now and than,
I started asking myself, why do vegans still wear
leather products? Wasn‘t their some kind of paradox in
philosophy going on? It seemed I had found my thesis
topic: leather from vegetable sources.
Though there was one factor in the equation I had not
thought about: the city. Berlin‘s housing market was on
the edge and I was moving four times within 6 months.
There was no room and little understanding from flat-
mates to set up a lab in the kitchen and get started on
a tinkering process to create a new vegetable leather
material.

Not having this space, the city became my challenge, A MAP

before even starting a tinkering process. Inspired by

the Fab City philosophy I started to map places that
were beneficial, when working on leather.
The result is a framework for material exploration in
the city - a starting point for future material designers
interested in working on leather in Berlin.
hipster Berlino bag

riding boots

„BORROWED“ FROM MY MUM

watch from my grandma
top read

beloved winterboots

gift from my boyfriend

„leather in
from rome with love

my daily life“

bag inherited
from my mum Leather in my daily life
8 Background

Is leather a wicked By 1912 it was completely sealed and is now a sad

part of the Parisian sewage system. (Crossman, 2013)
material? Paradoxically due to the polluted water of La Bièvre
the Royal tapestry manufactury Les Gobelin was able
Inspired by the paradox of vegans wearing genuine to create a very specific red color ‘Mudder Red‘, which
leather boots with pride, this essay seeks to summarize would become famous in art history to have inspired
the current status of leather: thoughts about the color wheel and complementary
Leather has been a witness of human evolution since the colors, theories crucial for our modern technology.
very beginning, serving as vestments in the Stone Age in (Finlay, 2014)
100.000 B.C. and has adapted to change ever since, rising One could say this lies in the past, but still it has im-
to a multi-billion industry today. (Giannetti et al, 2015) plications and effects that influence today’s leather
The material represents not only a matter of inheri- scene: Currently, the same chemicals are being used
tance, but created a tradition of craft, that survived in leather processing, though in a more efficient way.
industrialization and although outgrowing many of its In combination with a shift in consumption and pro-
original purposes, with the introduction of new and duction hubs due to globalization, basically the same
better performing materials in the 20th century, it still problem is happening, just in another part of the world.
can be found in an immense variety of products, from We must acknowledge that this process is irreversible.
apparel, to furniture, leather goods and automotives In combination with steady population growth and
(Král´, Schmel & Buljan, 2014). therefore improved living standards for many more
So, why describing leather as a wicked material? After people, this eventually will lead to increased demands
studying the current context of leather, the socio-eco- both in meat, with leather as a side product and luxury
nomic and environmental impact of the material, there goods. (Král´, Schmel & Buljan, 2014, Rosling 2010,
was no single answer, but many facets and points of Kirchain et al, 2015)
view. Was it better to let the animals‘ skin rot and waste Again I could ask another question: Fast Fashion is
the material or use a highly toxic procedure to turn it evil polluting our environment, but from another point
into a product that has a lifespan of only four years to of view jobs in the textile and apparel industry can
than take an even longer time to decay? decrease poverty, like a study of the World Bank about
Let‘s look at an example: Paris is famous to be the city Madagaskar shows: A job within the textile and apparel
at the Seine, little people though remember that up production industry would increase an individual’s
until 100 years ago another river, la Bièvre ran through purchasing power by 24% on average, a change that is
the city. Since 1376 it was commercially used for sufficient to lift them out of poverty. (Nicita & Razzas,
tannery, dye making and textile manufacturing 2004) So, who chooses what is more important?
and created a vivid industrial hub around its banks. These were just two of many clashes of interests,

properties
traditional craft
prese
disposrve from decay natural material
mas al fish leath
Eam s produc huma er
smel n leather
fur es lo tion
fas niture unge c so l
D hion hair warft
wa IY-ma desi p m
ar lle teri gner an ig, co
le im w
ta tisa t le at al , py
als
kin ns re ath her f skin thon
fin rod orat tisan

g sis er ro
p ec ar h it y

ta fro m f
ish uc eur s

wa robl er al f trea

ca
d ynd wit brar

nt m ru
p h
b ork ial li
i

re
te m ern tme
ng t de

fru it
lea ces ls
w ater

rp s

of
m lab

pro ica
fab teriotec

cheer

it
t

ro
ma ry

ba
riv

e
tanne

toxi ainability
craft

sust

of
supply chain

pollutioroduct
places

gs
side-p
side-effect

m
sig

s
n

t
o
pres

ati
n

erve
a

ve
ranc

nt
e
Background 9

which have led to an ongoing news debate between collagen in a lab (Zoa). In many cases the designer
activists and the leather industry in recent years. With itself has been also the producer of the material, a
both sides claiming their point of view, being right. phenomenon described as DIY-materials (Rognoli et
In addition many studies about the impact of leather al., 2015) enabled by the ‘democratization of fabrication
are conducted, ranging from chemical effluents, environ- technology and the rising desire of individuals for personalizing
mental footprint, product service systems or luxury good their products’. (Rognoli et al, 2015)
perception (Dixit et al, 2015; Laurenti et al, 2017, Thus again one could ask the question: Who chooses
Bhamra et al, 2018; De Klerk, 2018). if it is more reasonable to design long lasting products
All of these studies focus on a specific problem or a certain (Chapman, 2015; Rognoli & Karana, 2014) combine
step within the product-material-lifecycle. They verify materials and social sustainability (Kandachar, 2014,
the fact that the awareness about these issues is omni- Franklin & Till, 2018) or biofabricate materials in a lab
present. In contrast, Biagio F. Giannetti and his team (Forgacs, 2018)?
of researchers from Paulista University in Brazil and
the Università degli Studi di Napoli expresses the need I came to the conclusion that it was sheer impossible to
for ‘breakthrough process alternatives beyond conventional tech- describe the problem of leather in one sentence, even
nology optimization’ (Giannetti et al, 2015, p. 22) in the one article.
leather production. Due to the fact that currently 20 Eventually as long as humans will eat meat the dicussion
year old studies are still considered innovative in leather around leather will be alive. As I realized there will
production processes. (Giannetti et al, 2015) never be a solution that is ‘right’, but according to the
Many of the above mentioned studies highlight the point of view just good or bad and due to the high
import role of designers in shaping the consumers publicity of the topic there is little room for failure,
vision of leather. one just had to give it a try. Leather and its context was
Within the field of design, sustainability is yet not- unique involving so many industries, people and being
hing new and surely ‘no longer an optional facet’ (Bhamra, the symptom of other bigger issues like globalization. I
2018). It is impossible to name all current angles of set out to describe this problem in this thesis, it will be
the ongoing research, some though suggest, what my point of view and later I will be judged, whether it
Giannetti would describe a ‘breakthrough process alternative’ was a good effort or a bad shot.
(Giannetti et al, 2015, p. 22): In the past decade the This description resonates Rittel’s 10-step-characteri-
leather field has seen the emergence of various ‘new zation of Wicked Problems (Rittel & Webber, 1973)
types of leathers‘ mainly from vegetable sources: made and from my point of view it applies to the material as
out of food waste (The Apple girl), grown with it is interwoven and part of the creation of well known
mushroom bacteria (Zvnder), based on plant wicked problems such as poverty, globalization
material (Piñatex) or grown from artificial and global warming. (Kirchain et al, 2015).

stories
material kingdom
rich as
historicsociations WICKED? special vivid co
jobs al prefer ancient lour
impo craft
wick to be do ences
To ed P ne
se rtant
th
cowttlement roughout
upmDo: D roblem
cle ad ie neu s, Rittel lea the ag
ha an m e eR
„le ther es
kn der man
olle
em ns r ea
o
in w a h
der
ikr ot osli t, pa
a he in ut“
Ges
gr sso rita g ho
ek ion ng ul talt
cir ink lli c atter ma

ed ally , ted shap ac cia nce w

ung
p ine m tas r
cu an om s

ef tio to
c tuff afan atte

re th ble valu

ico d i r
l

wo
t o
ul n
ar d b sm

s rm l m

es ura alk
lea aila nal
tro er

s
fo dica ion

rk
av otio

ag
d

ra pirat s

it
em ry

bl
es lue

ins book

ch ski ater

ei
dia rse rid
old i bag

ed
ho
Gucc

ng
ig sto der

wipsdle

ic
safari

sad ge
shooting animal

bondaout of date
luyury good
expensive
never

es
n

ig
fo ries

n
ru

m
ic
m

ein

ial
g

e
s
10 Methodologies

Materials Experience
designers are important stakeholders in planned
and actual materials experiences. (Pedgley, 2009)
Thus when designing for materials experience it is not
The theory of Material Experience was necessary to
only important to be aware of the experiental levels of
define leather as a material and understand its diffe-
materials, but also to take various design aspects like
rent facets.
form or finishing, user characteristics such as culture
‘Materials Experience’ (Karana et al, 2008) was firstly
or age and the context of use into consideration. (Karana
introduced by Karana et al. to describe the experience
et al. 2015)
people have with and through materials. It acknow-
ledges the role of materials in shaping not only our
‘internal dialogues’ (Karana et al. 2015) with the artefact DIY-Materials
but also our ’ways of doing’ (Giaccardi & Karana, 2015).
In their research on material experice Giaccardi and The theory of DIY-Materials is crucial to my research,
Karana argue that a materials experience is not created giving a framework of how to classify and explore new
by objects nor people, but happens at the interrelation material experiences.
of materials, people and practices. This mutual inter- Defining an emerging trend of aspiration for personalized
actions, referred to as materials expericence pattern, products combined with the spreading availability of
happens through inital ‘encounters’ with a material, technology for self-production, the term ‘Do-It-Yourself
re-occuring ‘performances’ and ‘collaborations’, describing Materials’ (Rognoli et al, 2015) was used to describe this
alterated perfomances. In addition to these three dif- phenomenon:
ferent contextual relationships, materials are experien-
ced at four experimental levels: sensorial, interpretative, ’Do-It-Yourself Materials are created through individual or collective
affective and performative. (Giaccardi & Karana, 2015) self-production experiences, often by techniques and processes of
Sensorial encounters take place through touch, vision, the designer’s own invention, as a result of tinkering with materials.’
smell, taste and sound, interpretative ones describe (Rognoli et al. 2015, p. 693)
the initial meanings we attribute to materials through
interpretation and judgement. The affective level con- Ayala Garcia et al. show in their research on the emo-
cerns the emotions the materials triggers in us, formed tional value of DIY-materials, that this experiental
by personal thoughts, attitudes and beliefs. Ultimately approach of research led to a ‘complete change of perception, a
the performative level of material experience describes fully positive appreciation’ (Ayala Garcia et al. 2016, p.641)
the performances we establish around a specific material. of both the self production process and the outcomes
Giaccardi and Karana argue, that only if the perfor- by designers. (Ayala Garcia et al. 2016)
mances and the aesthetics of a design are connected, Within this spectrum of developing DIY-Materials two
it will be possible to explore and develop ‘unanticipated’ main directions can be differentiated: ‘DIY new materials’,
practices with an object. (Giaccardi & Karana, 2015) that use atypical ingredients, usually organic or inor-
Referring to Pedgley‘s research, both end users and ganic waste, for material creation. On the contrary

ANIMALE

VEGETABILE

Terroir Harvest Hidden Beauty, Thousand Years

Jonas Edvard Asif Khan Studio Gutedort Tomáš Gabzdil Libertiny
Methodologies 11

FabCity
‘DIY new identities for conventional materials’, aim at applying
new production approaches, DIY and craftsmanship,
to conventional materials and therefore give them new
The philosophy and context behind the FabCity project
identities. (Rognoli et al, 2015)
were inspiration and an important structure to under-
In regards to these two directions, DIY-Materials are
stand where new materials experieces in the form of
furthermore classified into 5 kingdoms according to
DIY-Materials could be created.
the initial source of the material. (Ayala Garcia et al.
FabCity is an international iniative aiming to develop
2017)
‘locally productive and globally connected self-sufficient cities’.
(Diez Ladera, 2014, p. 1)
FIVE KINGDOMS OF DIY-MATERIALS According to United Nations predictions by 2050,
Kingdom Vegetabile: Materials based on plants and fungi 75% of the human population will inhabitate cities,
are classified in this kingdom. Often designers collaborate which following the current lifestyle based on consumerism
with farmers and biologists using techniques to grow and linear economy causes destructive social, economic
and farm the materials, which especially differentiates and ecological impact. The FabCity philosophy aims
these materials from others. to change this ‘PITO - Product in/Trash out’ into the
‘DIDO - Data in Data out’ principle. Thus rescaling glo-
Kingdom Animale: The primary source for these materials
bal manufacturing into a network of local fabrication
derive from animals or bacteria and can be either de-
ecosystems, where more production is occurring in the
veloped by using parts of animals or in collaboration
city, materials are recycled and inhabitants‘ needs are
with living organisms.
met with local iniatives. By creating a global network
Kingdom Lapideum, refers to materials from mineral of cities, a single city‘s import and export would mainly
sources, such as stones, sand, ceramics, clay etc. Usually consist of data in form of information, knowledge, design
materials developed in this kingdom show a strong and code. (Diez Ladera, 2014)
connections to craftsmanship, probably to its historical
tradition.
GOALS AND STRATEGIES OF FAB CITY
Kingdom Recuperavit, considers all materials made of,
The ideals of FabLabs: culture, connectivity and
what is considered waste by society. Generally they
creativity are the drivers of the iniative, that uses the
show the willingness of designers to tackle sustainability
following strategies to achieve their goals: advanced
issues using side products of production processes and
manufacturing systems, distributed energy produc-
often contain plastic, metal or organic waste.
tion, crypto currencies for a new value chain, food
Kingdom Mutantis, contains all cases that have an original production and urban permaculture, educating for the
source in another kingdom, but undergo a ‘significant future, building the spiral economy and collaboration
change in the material’s nature and behavior’ with the aid of between government and the civil society. (Diez Ladera,
any technology. (Ayala Garcia et al. 2017) 2014)

LAPIDEUM

MUTANTIS

RECUPERAVIT

The people‘s Brick Company Gyrecraft Decafé Magnetic Fabrics

Something & Son Studio Swine Raul Lauri Lilian Dedio

Adapted from: Franklin&Till, 2018, Rognoli et al. 2015

12 Project Development Logic

Project Development in Berlin. After setting a new frame called materials

exploration in the city, the idea of a leather city map
Logic was born. As a result the exploration phase of useful
places for a tinkering process in Berlin started: initial
Initially this project started with the aim to create a online and offline review of material databases and
material alternative for leather through a tinkering travel guides and local maps. This desk research lead
process. For this reason after the initial driving source to attending events in the local material scene and
was found, the first part of the project consists of the meeting like-mindeds as well as contacting alternative
exploration of leather as a material using a materials leather producers for expert opinions on this topic.
experience approach. With the result of understanding Concurrently a process of mapping, collecting samples
the different leather types and material properties. In and observing the mood of leather in Berlin took place
order to understand the problems omnipresent in the in order to design the look and feel of the map. After
media discussion and understanding the trends in this open exploration, I curated the collected places by
alternative leather development, I reviewed the current visiting them and rating them according to the willing-
literature status and collected case studies. The output ness of support and openness towards sustainability.
is an overview about the current market, issues and The final product is a material map. In four categories:
system as well as mapped cases. During researching (inform, inspire, connect and enable) it shows places,
this second part of the project, I was struggeling to that are useful as a starting point for a tinkering process
start the tinkering process due to a lack of space in my on leather in Berlin. Being aware that a printed map is
home kitchen. This occuring problem set new boun- an absolute today‘s solution, I ended this project with
daries to this project - the city. The focus of my work giving an outlook into the future research possibilities,
shifted towards fostering DIY-Materials exploration such as digitalization, participation and partnerships.

FRAMING LEATHER

FINAL OUTCOME
UNDERSTAND CONTEXT

EXPLORE PLACES

CLARIFY AIM

M
AI
CT
RE
DI
RE

DEFINING LEATHER
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

MAP TRENDS

FUTURE RESEARCH
Framing leather
DEFINING LEATHER
AS A MATERIAL

Defining leather CHAPTER 1

Different leather types and their material properties
Leather, a starting point for tinkering
14 Defining leather as a material

Defining leather how leather can be characterized within a new context

- as a starting point for a tinkering process and there-
‘The story of materials is really the story of civilization.’ fore the creation of yet another point of view on the
Mark Miadownik multi-faceted material.

In the case of leather, the material has been shaping OBJECTIVE TECHNICAL PROFILE
the human world and who we are for a long time: evi-
The physical description of a material consist of largely
dence of use dates back until 100.000 B.C. with leather
numeric quantifiable data, categorized in mechanical,
being the only flexible material available to satisfy the
electrical, thermal, chemical and optical properties.
need for clothing.. (Giannetti et al, 2015; Keserwani,
(Ashby, 1999) The descriptions on the following pages
Jahan & Keserwani, 2015; Kula & Ternaux, 2009).
serve to give a general idea of the technical abilities
Since then the uses of leather have changed alongside
of leather from a designer’s point of view, rather than
evolution and will continue to change according to
exact calculi.
the UNIDO report on the future of leather. (Král´,
Schmél & Buljan, 2014)
SUBJECTIVE SENSORIAL PROFILE
Originally leather is understood as preserved skin and An understanding of sensorial characteristics is funda-
due to its production process shows in a huge variety mental for user-centered materials selection to create,
of finishes. Accordingly to its qualities it is classified what Valentina Rognoli describes as, a ‘relationship between
into different categories. (Lefteri, 2014, Kula & Ternaux, the design and the designer, and the relationship between the user
2009) Likewise, the original source, initially the type and the artefact’ (Rognoli, 2010 p. 289). (Pedgley, 2014;
of animal, determines its categorization. Next to various Rognoli, 2010)
animal sources, the 20th century saw the commer-
cial rise auf synthetic leathers due to technological Within this set of qualities it is crucial for a designer
advancement and shortage of the traditional source. to understand the concept of ‘tangibility and intangibility’
The 21st century instead saw the emergence of leather (Pedgley, 2014 p.346f), with tangible qualities referring
from vegetable sources adding the factor of sustaina- to eg. strength, friction or transparency, contrasted by
bility to the above mentioned. (Kula & Ternaux, 2009) meanings, labels and emotions described as intangible
Subsequently materials reffered to as leather can be features of materials. (Pedgley, 2014)
classified according to its original source and the pro- In addition a designer must acknowledge the ‘discrepancy
duction process it undergoes. This results in a variety between subjectivity and objectivity’ (Rognoli, 2010 p.292),
of different types and shade of leathers and urges a meaning that everyone perceives sensorial qualities
better understanding of the material profile, both the differently. Therefore results of a personal perception
objective technical properties and the subjective sensorial and objective measurements show differences, which
properties for material selection. (Rognoli, 2010) can be based on factors like cultural background,
trends, associations and emotions. (Rognoli, 2010)
This chapter aims to explore, what Kula and Ternaux In order to give a framework of sensorial qualities
(2009) describe in their book The creative‘s guide to the analysis of the following pages follows the four
materials, as ‘air of ambiguity’ that surrounds the material categories Giaccardi and Karana describe in their research
of leather, by defining the objective technical as well on experiental levels of materials experience: sensorial,
as the subjective sensorial material characteristics of interpretative, affective and performative. (Giaccardi & Kara-
three of its various types. Furthermore, taking a view, na, 2015).
16 Defining leather as a material

Leather from OBJECTIVE TECHNICAL PROFILE

animal sources
The following characteristics depict leather from
mammals, which is most common in use.

Until the 20th century the only and original source for
LEATHER & WATER
leather were animal skins. Most commonly used leathers
at current state are collected from mammals, such as The material is considered water repellent and para-
cattle, sheep, pig, goat and horses which are usually doxically to its origin is less damaged by water than
reared and slaughtered for their meat, milk or wool. sweat. For this reason direct contact with the skin is not
desirable. Nevertheless one of the biggest qualities of
However, it is possible to find skins of more exotic animals leather is its ability to ‘breathe’ and absorb moisture, which
turned into leather as well, like, fish, reptiles and birds. makes it comfortable in clothing and shoes. (Lefteri, 2014;
(Kula & Ternaux, 2009) Kula & Ternaux, 2009; Král´, Schmél & Buljan, 2014)

SKIN: COMPOSITION & CHARACTERISTICS LEATHER & TEMPERATURE

Independent from the animals‘ species, the compositition The high amount of entrapped air makes leather a
of the skin can be described as follows: The top layer, good thermal insulator, thus the material provides heat
called epidermis, which is essentially made of keratin, insulation in winter and keeps cold in summer. (Keser-
followed by the dermis, which eventually will become wani, Jahan & Keserwani, 2015)
leather including the ‘grain side’ and the ‘flesh side’.
The sebaceous glands, the sweat glands and the hair LEATHER & FIRE
sheet are implanted in the grain side of the dermis.
According to its nature and the undergone treatments,
The dermis is made of collagen, meanwhile the hair
the level of flammability and fire resistance vary.
consist of keratin. Beneath the dermis lies the subcut-
Nonetheless leather is inherently fire-resistant. (Kula &
aneous tissue or hypodermis, made of collagen. Accor-
Ternaux, 2009)
ding to the purpose the skin fulfills on different parts
of the body, variety in tightness and thickness appear.
(Kula & Ternaux, 2009) LEATHER & RESISTANT PROPERTIES
Specific kind of leathers can show a high tensile
‘‘kins and hides, like trees are not subject to the exacting demands strength, resistance to bending, friction, traction, tearing
of perfection, of reproducibility and dimensions of industry’. and abrasion. These qualities are usually found in leathers
(Kula & Ternaux, 2009 p.34) for the furniture, sports or automotive industries. (Ke-
serwani, Jahan & Keserwani, 2015; Kula & Ternaux,
Thus every piece will be unique and several variab- 2009)
les, like skin imperfections, breeding age, size of the
leather piece and eventually differences and difficulties LEATHER, ELASTICITY & PLASTICITY
in the tanning process, should be taken into consi-
deration, when thinking about material properties. The material possesses the ability to be either plastic
Keeping in mind that, these factors will eventually or elastic. In order to achieve differences in shape, like
determine the final material qualities. (Lefteri, 2014; moulding or higher flexibility, the material needs to be
Kula & Ternaux, 2009) moistened. (Kula & Ternaux, 2009, Lefteri, 2014)
Defining leather as a material 17

SENSORIAL SUBJECTIVE PROFILE hard soft

smooth rough

matte glossy

not reflective reflective

orked
cold warm

o be w
not elastic elastic

made for the ages

s
re

a
opaque not opaque
t im

protective layer
re sculin dventu

nat terial that

s
e r

od tough ductile
old
t

a ma nal
raf

rg
el

a
er -chi from

he
re ater to c
m lated e
lev

traditio
f
at in m se o
le sk sen ural
sh strong weak
oli
e

al
tiv

in tro ial

e s
pr c

n i m e p
ui an fac ow
a

a
et

g en om r sur ith sh light heavy

r
or t f the s w s
k f nec lea shoe ather
t

e c n e e l e
k
ch isco stro g th lder
d o „ min te o
t rea ecia er
c ppr eath vel
a ell l ative le
sm rform
pe
BOVINE LEATHER

cleaning shoes
a cowboy‘s saddle
grandpa used to know
these boots are made for
walking & that‘s what they will do
18 Defining leather as a material

Leather from synthetic

sources
Synthetic or artificial leathers can be divided into two
categories: Compact Coated Fabrics simply imitate a
sweating on car seat
leather-like appearance achieved by soaking or coating is this real or fake?
cheap handbags
fabrics with a PVC or PU-film. Poromerics, instead,
provide both the leather aesthetics and material features,
achieved by a different process of applying a PU resin.
(Shim, 2013; Kula & Ternaux, 2009) wedding invitation
Originally synthetic leathers were created due to the
limited availability of leather from animal sources, in
many cases though the new materials showed better
performance and replaced the traditional material.
White leather used in sport shoes is just one of the
many examples. (Král´, Schmél & Buljan, 2014)

COMPACT COATED FABRIC

pe
ca rfor
nn m
sw tart ers ke“ und

ot ativ
s nd oc fo
ip to tan the whe

be e l
u str aky tative ic
in

„ we ra tast

las eve
g

s terp fan
wa ea g w teria and

er l
in astic fect in a
s

pl o per

cu
t
w

to
er on ethe l

fake ine

t
hard soft
femin
, d th

trahshy
chep
d
t
u

i
s

n
5t sur is fa
o

smooth rough
f

m
e
f t ce

a
h e

lev
fa
m

matte glossy
n
a

el
t er

p
h

p
ia
l

eara
ke

not reflective reflective

re
o rr

nce
ea

cold warm
ov
l

not elastic elastic

opaque not opaque

tough ductile

strong weak

light heavy
Defining leather as a material 19

Leather from
vegetable sources hard soft

smooth rough
Vegetable leather, instead refers to several leather types:
Leathers, that have been produced with vegetable matte glossy

tannins, fabrics impregnated with natural latex and not reflective reflective
leathers deriving from vegetable sources. (Kula & Ter-
cold warm
naux, 2009) Vegan leather is very openly defined as
an ‘artifical alternative’ (Kinge, Landaf & Wasif, 2013 not elastic elastic
p. 27) to traditional leather, that might have the same
opaque not opaque
appearance and/or qualities. Regarding the technical
properties of leathers from vegetable sources, I would tough ductile

like to highlight that most of these materials are at a strong weak

semi-advanced state and not yet commercially availa-
ble. But I would like to quote Andras Forgacs, CEO of light heavy

Modern Meadow, a company on the forefront of bio-

fabricated leather - ‘new materials should not only imitate,
but inspire new properties’. (Forgacs, 2018)

edible
sustainab
THE APPLE GIRL delica le
impe te like skin
se rfect
nat ems ali
ru ra u ve
sti bber l mate
i ck -l rial
s nte y fi ike
smcrat rpre nger
as ch tati s
hi wit ve
rip lo ct

ng h
fo nne to try ve lev

le
pi w th ing nd ta

fru my vel
co nt
l
ng e im
wa rform
pe

it na
lit pat per

ils
tle
pi
ec
at i

te fec he m

es
a

of
n

f
wi ions
t h
ste
el

t
m
y fi
t

ng
er
ate

s
ria

dried fruit skin

tree barks peeling off

old wrinkly hands‘ touches
grandmother willow, pocahontas
20 Defining leather as a material

Leather, a starting point

for tinkering
Knowing about materials is a fundamental skill of Material Tinkering proposes a framework for the designer‘s
designers. Material Tinkering, describes a method for exploration combining hands-on experimentation and
designers to obtain this knowledge through experi- abstract conceptionalization. The practice supports to
mental learning to develop the sensitivity necessary in ‘understand, evaluate and design the experiental, expressive and
order to design for meaningful material experiences. sensorial characteristics of material’. (Parisi, Ayala-Garcia,
(Parisi, Ayala, Rognoli, 2017) According to Karana Rognoli, 2017 p. 1167)
et al. two factors trigger novel material experiences:
‘sustainability and technology‘. (Karana et al., 2015, p.23) Starting to perform different interventions on leather,
such as dyeing, exposure to weather, scratching,... and
In the case of leather, clearly both factors Karana et al. changes in process and recipe through ratio of ingre-
describe apply: sustainability, shows in the emergence dients, temperature or time, will result in establishing
of leathers from vegetable sources mostly and advances an emotional bond and intimacy with the material.
in technology thtough the way leather is grown e.g. Enabling the designer to not only understand his/her
biofabrication. preferences but also to be empathic towards others‘
appreciations. (Parisi, Ayala, Rognoli, 2017)
The diffusion of knowledge and fabrication spaces
through digitalization have led to the development of Working on a material, so rich in culture, heritage and
DIY-Materials, enabling a bigger range of people to material properties and striving to develop a more sus-
work on materials. (Rognoli et al, 2015) The develop- tainable alternative, developing an understanding of
ment reverses the role of designers and engineers in the above mentioned factors would be fundamental.
the creation of new material visions, with designers Thus the tinkering approach seemed to be a feasible
ideating them first and engineers making them feasible option for understanding and developing a material
afterwards. (Parisi, Ayala-Garcia, Rognoli, 2017) based on vegetable sources.

TRIED HEAT

A WEEK OLDER

FREEZING IS A SURPRISE
Framing leather
THE CONTEXT
OF LEATHER

Leather market CHAPTER 2

Leather lifecycle, its problems and solutions
Leather system, its actors & drivers
22 The context of leather

The context of leather

In the first chapter, I defined leather as a material, and
understood that its final properties are depending on
the original source and the production process it under-
goes. In order to explore the process of making and
understanding the wider context the following chapter
analyses the status quo of the leather field.

To the before mentioned influencing factors towards

more sustainable leathers: the impactful role of designers
(Král´, Schmel & Buljan, 2014) and the necessity for
breakthrough process alternatives (Giannetti, 2015),
the research of Bhamra et al. adds the role of SMEs
(Small and Medium Enterprises) in the transformation
to more sustainable operation. (Bhamra et al, 2018)
Given the complexity of the topic this chapter aimes
to give a future material designer a quick overview on
current procedures, actors in the system and market
relevance.

I started by showing the economic value of the market.

Followed by mapping the environmental, social and
economic impacts (Liedtke et al, 2013) of the different
types of leathers and furthermore listing the sectors
involved in the process, identifyling drivers for sustai-
nability. The five phases analyzed in the lifecycle: pre-
production, production, distribution, use and disposal
took inspiration from a product life cycle approach
described by Carlo Vezzoli, but did not follow the actual
method. (Vezzoli, 2014) Along this lifecycle it was my
personal intention to not only list the problems arrising
but also the interventions current research, which is
already undertaken to solve them, in order to show a
complete picture.
Within the leather system it is important to mention
that each industry has its own legislative bodies, academia
and sometimes even lobbies and is highly influenced
by global economic flows and poltical situations.
The context of leather 23

The leather market

85 BILLION $/Y IN 2025
100 billion $/year
Pig

bio-based
Goat estimated value of the global leather industry
(UNIDO)
PVC

Sheep 65%

Bovine PU

26 billion $/year
estimated value of the global synthetic leather industry
(Grandview)

> LEATHER PRODUCTION SHIFTS FROM DEVELOPED TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

China, the world leader

produces 3x times more
than Italy, ranked 2nd.

USA
Argentina Turkey
Mexico
Russia
South Korea Brazil

China few countries

India Italy
60% OF RAW (BOVINE) MATERIAL PRODUCTION
70% OF LEATHER PRODUCTION
control market 90% OF SHOE PRODUCTION

Gloves > USE IN FOOTWEAR DECLINES, RISES IN AUTOMOTIVES

Apparel

Leather goods 55%

Footwear
use in years
Upholstery
13%

1 10 4
Automotive
Automotive
Footwear

Adapted from: UNIDO, 2010, Pringle, 2017, Grandview 2019

24 The context of leather

Leather from
deforestation. The continuing deconstruction of the
Amazonas rainforest in favor of cattle ranches in Brazil,

animal sources the fifth largest bovine leather producer, depicts these
issues. (Kirchain et al, 2015)
The following analysis focuses on bovine leather, which The actual rearing phase of lifestock shows many
constitutes of 65% of all leathers deriving from animal implications: Animals need shelter and its provision
sources. (Keserwani et al, 2015) Overall a few notes on includes farm equipment, energy input and land ma-
the data presented: Leather goods production does not nagement. Animals need feed, showing not only in
follow a specific procedure, but rather depends highly crop production and fertilizers, but especially in the
on tanning, manufacturing preferences and methods methane gas released during the animal‘s digestive
applied. (Laurenti et al, 2017) The same applies for process. And animals need water to grow - 95% of
the research about leather‘s environmental impact. the overall 16500 litres of water, used to produce one
According to UNIDO there is ‘no single method and no square meter of leather, are allocated to the lifestock
agreement’ (Brugnoli & Král‘, 2012) for this analysis in production. (Kirchain et al, 2015; UNIDO, 2017)
place. This results in different system boundaries for The animal upbringing in mass production, raises serious
allocating emmission throughout the lifecycle. (Redwood, concerns about animal health and welfare, which is
2013) My intention was to show the wider cycle of the continued in the slaughtherhouse. Also in this phase
production of the material in order to understand the the traceability of the hides is usually lost, disconnecting
overall impact. farmers, producers and eventually end consumers.
(Origem , 2016)
In order to preserve hides over time, they need to undergo
PRE-PRODUCTION
the tanning procedure, which consists of several treat-
This phase mainly constitutes of agriculture & lifestock ments in the following categories: pre-tanning, tanning,
production, the animal slaughtering and the tanning post-tanning and finishing. (Laurenti et al. 2016) These
process. The conversion of land to use for cattle rearing processes produce a tremendous amount of volatile
can release large quantity of Co2 held in organic soil, organic compounds, solid waste and industrial effluents.
threatens ecosystems and leads to soil erosion and Out of a 1000kg of raw skin only 150kg eventually will

IMPACT
Protected Species Toxic effluents
Animal Welfare
Organic compounds
Soil Erosion
Water Usage Solid waste
Traceability
Deforestation Methane gas emmisions Waste Water

AGRICULTURE LIFESTOCK PRODUCTION SLAUGHTERHOUSE TANNING PROCESS HIDE TRADE DESIGN

Green Tannery
The Save Moment
Vegan movement
Sustainable PSS for SMEs

Sub-surface leather tatoo Design for Sustainability

ALTERNATIVES
The context of leather 25

become raw leather, the other 850kg remain as waste. production take place in South East Asia, while the
(Kanagaraj, 2014) According to Dixit et al. throughout main consumption hubs remain in Europe, North
the process at least 15 highly toxic and heath endangering America and China/Japan. (Guagnami & Mishra,
substances are used, especially heavy metals. Through 2012) For this reason transport is an important element
air pollution and diffusion of waste water in ground of the leather industry. (Kirchain et al. 2015)
water, rivers and marine environments these substances
arrive back to humans through food chain and ground- USE
water. (Dixit et al. 2014, Kanagaraj, 2014, Giannetti et
Digitalization has led to an impowerment of the con-
al 2015)
sumer, disrupting the traditional path of purchase.
(Perkins & Fenech, 2014, Carpenter, 2013) With Mille-
PRODUCTION nials consuming experiences not stuff. (Taylor, 2018)
Leather can be found in thousands of products around Awareness about the issues along the production process
the world, ranging from high-luxury-goods to practical is given, but as de Klerk et al. describe in their research
items. As reported by UNIDO 55% are worked into on controversial fashion in the leather industry, most
footwear, producing 19 billion pairs of shoes yearly. users show strong concern regarding environmental
Followed by the growing sector of the automotive industry, issues in the leather industry but weaker aspiration,
upholstery, leather goods and apparel. (UNIDO, 2017) when theses actions directly impact themselves and
Another 30% of the raw material constitute as waste are not highly motivated to engage in environmentally
in manufacturing, from which only very little is recovered significant behaviour. (De Klerk et al, 2018)
and reworked. (Pringle, 2017)
DISPOSAL
The average use time of a leather product is 4 years,
DISTRIBUTION
with the extremes of shoes used for approximately
With regards to the example of the fashion industry, 1 year, upholstery 10 and apparel 4 years. (UNIDO,
most goods are not produced, where they are consu- 2017) Sooner or later leather goods end up as waste
med. As stated by Guagnami & Mishra 60 % of global and undergo various treatments to decay. (Pringle, 2017)

IMPACT

Fast Fashion
Poor Working Conditions
Little Recycling
Production vs. consumption hubs
Short product lifecyles
Manufacturing Waste Transport Emissions

GOODS MANUFACTURING DISTRIBUTION RETAIL PURCHASE PRODUCT USE DISPOSAL

Slow Fashion
Circular Economy Approach
The Paris Leather Smart Souring Workshop
Design for Graceful Ageing
Fab City

ALTERNATIVES
26 The context of leather

Leather from
level and surface structure is laminated to the substrate
and again cured to fix the film. After this process the

synthetic sources synthetic leather is ready. (Winter, 2016) These processes

are in need of heat, machines, human labor, dyes and
The following analysis focuses on PU (Polyurethane) molds. Chemicals used can cause health risks to workers
based leather, which constitutes the biggest amounts and end-users through exposore to diisocyanates causing
of leathers from synthetic sources. (Grandview, 2019) occupational asthma and cancer, pollute water streams
and release toxic gases into the environment. (Lockey et
al, 2016, Ecotextile, 2019)
PRE-PRODUCTION
Polyurethane is a petroleum-based synthetic polymer,
mainly made of polyols and diisocyanates, which are PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION, USE
extracted from fossil oil. The extraction and further PU-based synthetic leather in comparison to genuine
destillation of oil is an industry of controversy being leather shows many advantages like cheaper production
essential for today‘s society but causing severe en- in bigger sheetsize and the possibility to add and adjust
vironmental and health risks, such as carbon emissi- material properties easily. It has outranked genuine
ons and lack of biodegradability of plastics. (Sha et leather with being waterproof, possible to dry-clean
al. 2008) The nature of these impacts, though, de- and is much lighter than real leather and durable under
pend on the specific ingredients and the process of sunlight, making it particularly ideal for automobiles
production of the final polymer. (Kraswoska, 2015) and furniture. (Král´et al, 2014)
In the production of synthetic leather the application
of the PU-film on the carrier takes place in two steps:
DISPOSAL
Firstly the base layer is conditioned for the following
coagulation of the thicker PU-base layer. This layer is Polyurethane is highly flammable, posing risk during
applied through dipping and will be completely attached use and realeasing carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide
to the carrier through heat. After the drying and curing and other toxic products throughout decomposition
an embossed paper, that defines the final colour, gloss and combustion. (Mckenna & Hull, 2016)

IMPACT

Risk of leakage Usage of toxic chemicals

Fast Fashion
Release of stored CO2
High flamiability
Wasterwater
Reliance on fossil ressources
Health risks Production vs. Consumtionhubs
Transport Emissions

RESSOURCE EXTRACTION MATERIAL PRODUCTION DESIGN GOODS MANUFACTURING DISTRIBUTION

RETAIL PURCHASE PRODUCT USE DISPOSAL

Usage of certified chemicals

Transparency
Bioplastics

Standards and Labelling Design for Recycling

ALTERNATIVES
The context of leather 27

Leather from
or 480 pinapple leaves to produce one squaremeter
of Piñatex. The long fibres are extracted through a

vegetable sources decortation process, directly at the plantation in the

Philippines. Once the leaves have been stripped off fibre
The following analysis focuses on Piñatex, a pineapple the leftover biomass can be used as a nutrient-rich
based leather, which is one of the few leathers from ve- natural fertiliser or a biofuel, so nothing is wasted. The
getable sources, that is already commercially available. fibres then get degummed and undergo an industrial
process to become a non-woven mesh, which forms
the base of Piñatex. Later these rolls of unwoven
PRE-PRODUCTION mesh are transported to Spain for specialised finishing,
This phase mainly consists of agricultural growing of which results in the leather-like appearance, creating a
the ananas plant, the fruit‘s harvest, separation of the textile that is soft and flexible, yet very durable. (Ananas
leaves and the conversion into the final material. The Anam, 2017)
ananas is the third most important tropical plant in the
world. In 2017 the global production of the fruit were PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION
27,6 million metric tons. (Statista, 2019). In contrast to
The finished textile is distributed to designers and worked
the usual process including both severe fertilization of
into apparel, accessories and furniture using the standard
plants and poor labour conditions (Lawrence, 2010),
procedures of production. (Ananas Anam, 2017)
Ananas Anam strives to support Philippine‘s local farming
iniatives and creates a Cradle to Cradle (C2C) inspired
process. Using only C2C approved chemicals as well as USE, DISPOSAL
adding value to the pineapple waste has created a new Piñatex is used in footwear, accessories, apparel and
source of income for farming communities who other- furniture products with a lifespan of usage between
wise rely on a seasonal harvest. With the #Imadeyour- one and four years before descarding, when using tra-
fibre campaign, farmers, designers and customers can ditional leather. (UNIDO, 2017) According to Ananas
be linked directly. The plant is organic matter and a Anam, the finished material is not yet biodegradable,
fast regrowing ressource for Piñatex. It takes 16 plants but sets this as a future goal. (Ananas Anam, 2017)

IMPACT

Little knowledge about finishing material

Not yet biodegradable

Production far from Consumption
Transport Emissions No studies on years of usage

AGRICULTURE MATERIAL PRODUCTION TRANSPORT FINISHING DESIGN GOODS MANUFACTURING

DISTRIBUTION RETAIL PURCHASE PRODUCT USE DISPOSAL

Fab City

Slow Fashion Take back policies

Usage of local ressources
ALTERNATIVES
28 The context of leather

Leather system, its actors and drivers

FINISHED MATERIAL

ARTS &
CRAFTS
SME
TANNERIES
FAB
LABS
MAKERS
TANNERY
MATERIAL
DESIGN

ALTERNATIVE
PRE-TANNING MATERIAL
OPERATORS PRODUCERS

SYNTHETIC
LEATHER
MEAT SLAUGHTER PRODUCERS
PACKERS HOUSE
BRANDS
RAW MATERIAL

MEAT POLYMER
INDUSTRY SUPPLIERS
TANNING
MEAT &
AGENT
DAIRY
SUPPLIERS
PRODUCERS
FOOD
INDUSTRY
CHEMICAL
INDUSTRY

AGRICULTURE

ORGANIC FERTILIZER
PRODUCTION FUEL
PRODUCERS
SUPPLIERS

FEED
PRODUCERS

Adapted from: Pringle, 2017, Memedovic, 2008, Kirchain et al. 2015

The context of leather 29

PRODUCT

RETAIL
PRO
SECTOR
ENVIRONMENT
SECTOR
STRATEGY
CONSULTANTS
ONLINE IN-STORE
RETAIL RETAIL
NGOs

ACTIVISTS MARKETERS
ACCESSORIES

INFLUENCER
FASHION
BRANDS INDUSTRY
END FURNITURE
CONSUMER INDUSTRY
DESIGN

ONLINE TREND AUTOMOTIVE

REVIEWS JOURNALISM INDUSTRY

ENGINEERING

COLLECTION
RECYCLING STRATEGIES
GOODS
MANUFACTURY
END-OF-LIFE
STRATEGIES
WASTE MULTI-
MANAGEMENT BRAND
BRANDED
30 The context of leather

Summary
In the first chapter I analyzed the various types of ma-
terials referred to as leathers, which can be categorized
according to their source of origin and the undergone
production process of the material. The following
chapter included a summary on the current status of
these types of leather, its economic value, the impacts
during its lifecycle and the actors in the system.

Concluding leather is a material of many facets, which

is well appreciated in a huge array of products. It can be
created using other industry‘s waste or artificially. Fact
is consumers appreciate it‘s appearance and perfor-
mance, but the environmental impact of leathers both
from animal and synthetic sources seem unbearable.
Furthermore the many actors and geographical dis-
crepancy of the production process result in a complete
disconnectivity of original material source and the end
consumer.

Actors identified to challenge this status quo by many

scholars are the field of design, the end consumer,
small and medium size enterprises and brand driven
iniatives (often with the fashion industry seen as iniator of
innovation). With developing technology end consu-
mers have achieved more influence and changed their
consumption patterns. Also the role of material design
changes, with designers as iniators in the creation of
new material experiences.

Not only considering the ethical conciousness as a

designer for sustainability, but also the feasibility of this
project, I set out to work on leathers from vegetable
sources, with a production closer to the actual place of
consumption of the material.
Framing leather
LEATHER FROM
VEGETABLE SOURCES

Manufacturing leather from vegetable sources CHAPTER 3

Growing leather from vegetable sources

32 Leather from vegetable sources

Leather from artificially created from waste of this raw material, thus
referring to leftovers of a manufacturing process or an
vegetable sources already used material. The horizontal axe, instead de-
scribes the way a material was produced: from being
New alternatives for leather are mushrooming in recent manufactured through the mixture or assembly of
years, driven by two factors: pressuring sustainability ingredients in a classical way to actually being grown
issues and emerging technologies. (Karana et al, 2015) in one piece.
Scarcity and thus reaching out to seek alternative material Additionally some of the shown projects might not be
sources as well as working at the intersection of design, considered DIY-Materials at the current point as the
biology and technology has opened up new ways of development is happening in closed company labs.
creating leather. Taking Zoa by Modern Meadow for example, but it
should be stated that former BioCouture developer
Exhibitions, events and awards within the design scene Suzanne Lee is the creative lead and has probably shifted
celebrate these new materials, such as the „Like leather“ the material use towards yeast. As well as the mate-
exhibition at the Dutch Design Week or MoMa‘s first rial of Fruitleather Rotterdam, which has developed
exhibition about fashion in over 75 years - „Item: Is from an unique haptical material experience towards a
fashion modern?“. Whilst many projects such as the more traditional leather-like look and feel. It is for this
Human leather project from Tina Gorjanc, Rumen le- reason that I felt it was also important to clarify the
ather from Mandy van Elzen or Hidden Beauty from stage of material development, which I clustered in 5
Studio Gutedort create exceptional material expe- steps. Most of the cases started as ‘project based initiati-
riences from underestimated animal sources, there is ves’ (stage 1), than exhibited, were awarded newcomer
a whole field of designers that seeks to develop viable prices and received funding for their ‘ongoing research’
biodegradable substitutes on the one side and vegan res- (stage 2). In this phase usually further material qualities
source-efficient alternatives on the other side. (Franklin are explored, added or got rid off - the appearance
& Till, 2018) of the materials developes into more sophisticated
and advanced materials. Once the material qualities
On the following pages I have been using the DIY-Ma- and processes are frozen the iniatiatives, by now small
terials datasheets to summarize the collected data from smart-ups, are ‘trying to scale’ (stage 3) their production.
personal statements (if possible) or email correspon- Once the supply of material is guaranteed partners-
dence and an analysis of online ressources, such as articles, hips are formed by ‘looking for application‘ (stage 4). In
social media posts and videos about these new materials. this phase a high visibility on conferences, talks and
At this point should be stated that some materials, for exhibitions can be noted. Once the material is used
example the ones deriving through the aid of bacteria, in products it is ‘commercially available’ (stage 5) to both
might not be considered inside the Kingdom Vegetabile end-users, brands and designers.
according to the DIY-Materials classification, but in
order to give a more complete view I decided to inclu- Analysing the alternatives for leather deriving from
de them in the analysis. Furthermore many materials vegetable sources, these materials are created and
could also be considered belonging to Kingdom Recu- influenced by various sources. Though, what all have
peravit as they derive from ‘revived materials’ (Sauerwein in common is the driving source, as also stated by
et al, 2017), thus made from discarded raw material Ayaly-Garcia in his research. (Ayala-Garcia, 2016), to
sources. create a less impactful leather-like material. In general
As in the previous chapters I have clustered the the cases obviously distinguish in the way of production,
materials according to their orginal source as well as whether being manufactured or grown. The following
the way of production. Concluding the vertical axe pages elaborate on these two directions and the emer-
ranges from the raw material, as found in nature or ging trends will be further described.
Leather from vegetable sources 33

ALGAE
ARTIFICIAL COLLAGEN

raw material
ÖEDS
LEATHER
ZOA GELTOR
ALGIKNIT

PLANT
VITRO
LABS
LINO MUSHROOM

LEATHER PINE
SKINS MYLO

MUSKIN MYCO
WORKS
AMADOU
PINATEX LEATHER
manufactured
ZVNDER grown

PALM KOMBUCHA
LEATHER
BIO
COUTURE
FRUIT WASTE SCOBY
WINE
LEATHER
VEGEA
THE APPLE LIQUID FOOD WASTE
waste of raw material

GIRL
SOYA
FRUIT
MALAI C(OU(L)TURE
LEATHER
ROTTERDAM

PROJECT BASED INIATIVES ONGOING RESEARCH TRYING TO SCALE LOOKING FOR APPLICATION AVAILABLE
34 Leather from vegetable sources

Manufacturing leather
from vegetable sources
REWORKING FRUIT WASTE RETHINKING TRADITIONAL ALTERNATIVES
Food has become a playground for designers‘ exploration While designers are increasingly looking back in order
in recent years, intersecting not only on the materials to design forwards, they use innovative techniques and
level but also culturally, experiential and prospective. approaches to redefine traditon (Lotter, 2018) newly:
(Rognoli, 2019) Additionally in the three cases of wine
leather, apple leather and fruit leather all designers ‘Tradition is the passing on off fire not the worship of the ashes’.
specifically mention to be driven in finding a solution Jean Jaurès
for the leather problem without piling up additional
ressource. Thus the make innovative use of by-products Daniel Charny, professor for design at Kingston Uni-
of agricultural industries, which would otherwise be versity describes Making in an interview as ‘defeating the
discarded. (Franklin & Till, 2018) While Camilo Ayala- seperation between past and future’ (Franklin & Till, 2018),
Garcia and Valentina Rognoli describe the aethetics of which means rethinking a material always builds on a
these materials to usually carry the aesthetical qualities heritage. In the case of lino leather and pine skins all
of their previous state (Ayala-Garcia & Rognoli, 2017), these considerations apply. Both designers use tradi-
I observed that the materials once more advanced are tional material in new compelling ways, resulting in
very hard to depict as a leather substitute. especially haptically triggering leather alternatives.

AGRICULTURAL WASTE RESSOURCING ALGAE, THE NEW POWER PLANT

Piñatex and Palm leather are two examples of how Projects like the Sea Me Collection (seaweed dyes)
designers are ‘sweating resources’ (Franklin & Till, 2018, from Nienke Hoogvliet and Terroir (solid material)
p. 47), which we already have access too. By applying from Jonas Edvard, show the potential of a resource
a circular approach to excisting acgricultural structures, that was once abandoned - seaweed. Being praised
these designers not only make innovative use of discarded as a new power plant in several areas including food
plant waste, but also create additional income streams or energy, it was rather a matter of time to be also ex-
for farmers. No element of the harvest is now wasted plored in the field of leather alternatives. (Franklin &
in a ‘root-to-leaf ’ mantra. (Franklin & Till, 2018) The Till, 2018) The two examples could not differ more in
materials deriving from vegetable sources usually show the producetion process: from simple collection in the
traces of imperfection and their main constitute. In Öeds project to adaption of cells in a lab by Algiknit,
contrast to leather from animal sources, these materials the future will show whether seaweed constituted as a
show their short-life. (Ayala-Garcia & Rognoli, 2017) worthy substitute.
Leather from vegetable sources 35

ALGAE
ARTIFICIAL COLLAGEN

raw material
ÖEDS
LEATHER
ZOA GELTOR
ALGIKNIT

PLANT
VITRO
LABS
LINO MUSHROOM

LEATHER PINE
SKINS MYLO

MUSKIN MYCO
WORKS
AMADOU
PINATEX LEATHER
manufactured
ZVNDER grown

BASIC INGREDIENTS CONTACT

Seaweed Öeds Studio,
Softening agent http://oedsleather.gandi.ws/contact

‘transforming seaweed into leather’

KEY STEPS
Collecting fresh Cleaning, Replacing water Hanging it in a After 2-6 months Working it into
seaweed during rinsing, cutting with a softening cool room to dry. a leather like products.
summer. and wringing. agent. material arrives.
44 Leather from vegetable sources

ALGAE
ARTIFICIAL COLLAGEN

raw material
ÖEDS
LEATHER
ZOA GELTOR
ALGIKNIT

PLANT
VITRO
LABS
LINO MUSHROOM

LEATHER PINE
SKINS MYLO

MUSKIN MYCO
WORKS
AMADOU
PINATEX LEATHER
manufactured
ZVNDER grown

PALM KOMBUCHA
LEATHER
BIO
COUTURE
FRUIT WASTE SCOBY
WINE
LEATHER
VEGEA
THE APPLE LIQUID FOOD WASTE
waste of raw material

GIRL
SOYA
FRUIT
MALAI C(OU(L)TURE
LEATHER
ROTTERDAM

PROJECT BASED INIATIVES ONGOING RESEARCH TRYING TO SCALE LOOKING FOR APPLICATION AVAILABLE
Leather from vegetable sources 45

Growing leather from

Research and projects around have been popping up
around the easy-to-cultivate as well as manipulate and

vegetable sources fast-growing material, used as substitutes for many

KEY STEPS
Starting with Growing the Controlling Compressing Tanning and Manufacturing
mycelium cells. cells in a bed of environment for network into imprinting the mylo products.
corn stalk. self-assemblence. 2-D shape. desired pattern.
50 Leather from vegetable sources

KEY STEPS
Collection of Fermenting pro- Harvesting and Air-drying and Dying into Manufacturing
waste water from duces a sheet of refining the jelly. softening the different co- goods.
coconut flesh. cellulose jelly. finished material. lours.
Framing leather
THE CITY, NEW BOUNDARIES FOR
VEGETABLE LEATHER DEVELOPMENT

Cities as sources for material development CHAPTER 4

Berlin, a starting point for leather from vegetable sources
Problem Framing
58 The city, new boundaries for vegetable leather development

Cities as sources for

material development
After mapping the trends in the development of alter- According to United Nations more than half of the
natives for leather from vegetable sources, it became world‘s population is already living in cities and this
clear that all designers and ‘expert amateurs’ (Kuznetsov & proportion is expected to raise to 68% in 2050. (UN,
Paulos, 2010), thus people without any scientific and 2018) Taking this into consideration as well as the
structured knowledge of materials, engaging within infrastructural needs and the fact of cities as main mate-
these trends share the willingness to tackle the issues rial consumers, I asked myself the question: What are
of leather in one or another way. The work of Camilo the conditions and influences for material activism in
Ayala-Garcia on the conditions of DIY-material de- cities, if as stated in the concept, one could simply start
velopment clusters these motivations in the following a tinkering process in one‘s kitchen? (Rognoli & Aya-
sources: driving source, inspirational source, technology la-Garcia, 2018)
source and craft source. (Ayala-Garcia, 2016)
Additionally the concept of ’Material activism’ (Rognoli ‘City is a word used to describe almost anything.’, this is how
& Ayala-Garcia, 2018), spurs designers to break free Deyan Sudjic, director of the Design Museum starts
of the exclusion of industrial material development his book: The language of cities. Having said that, he
and act pro-actively. The concept is closely connected argues cities are distinctive identities, none is the same,
with democratization, sharing, hacking, self-production which is not only shaped by climate, topography, archi-
and Do-It-Yourself. (Rognoli & Ayala-Garcia, 2018) tecture and orgins, but mainly by its people. With a city
DIY-Materials thus, can be considered one of the being a dynamic creation, ever changing and develo-
many facets of a movement called ‘Third Wave Do-It- ping, thus in order to make sense of a city, one has to
Yourself ’ as described by Stephan Fox. Who describes understand its people and embrace the quality of the
the necessary infrastructure for enablement as follows: unpredictable as a key virtue. (Sudjic, 2016)
internet access, digital tools and manufacturing equip-
ment. While, he argues, that mobile manufacturing With cities, being ‘the talk of the world’ and currently
can bring great value in regions that do not meet these investigated in many ways, on the following pages I
requirements, it is more than common and widely have gathered case studies, influences and opportunities
accessible in urban areas. (Fox, 2014) for DIY-Materials creation in cities.
The city, new boundaries for vegetable leather development 59

FUTURE URBAN MINING

’We have all the materials we need, they are already here.’
Anders Lendager

The architect formulates in one sentence the core of

the Fab City philosophy. A model for self-sufficient cities
that recycle materials, raw and trash, produce locally
with the diffusion of FabLabs and trade in Data and
being globally connected. (Diez Ladera, 2014) Thus,
what happens if we see cities not only as living space,
but as deposits of ressources - what we consider waste
turns into a valuable ressource. (Metzger, 2018)
While one might connect these thoughts with a less
aesthetically pleasing results, the following cases prove
the opposite:

In her project Material Illusions designer Sophie Row-

ley mines ‘non virgin materials, which already have had a life’
and are hyper common in our daily waste streams:
denim, paper, styroform or glass. By breaksing them
down and replicating natural processes she is able to
create material aesthetics that are the ‘antithesis of typical
upcycling and recycling’ (Franklin & Till, 2018) and resemble
wood, marble or corals.

Mine the scrap, an installation by certain measures,

1. Material Illusions, combines construction waste with machine vision and
Sophie Rowley
big data. Within 45 seconds a programme scans the
pieces, catalogues and assembles them to a new unique
form. Tobias Nolte, one of the founders says in an
interview with brandeins, their driver is not recycling
but redistribution with the goal of rearranging pieces
in a probably better way. In their concept Urban Fracking 2. Mine the scrap,
Certain Measures
the studio explores empty spaces in the city, that might
be useful to be built up, using the same technology.
(Metzger, 2018)

Kaalink collects particulate pollution emitted by car

engines before it enters the atmosphere. Afterwards
the team of Graviky Labs detoxifys the particles, which
results into high-quality liquid ink. A collaboration with
Tiger Beer in 2016 has produced 150 litres of Air-Ink
equating roughly 2500 hours of car emissions. (Graviky
Labs, 2015)
3. Kaalink, Graviky Labs
60 The city, new boundaries for vegetable leather development

HYPERLOCALITY, IDENTITY & TRADITION

What happens if we act hyperlocal, which is what a
self-sufficient city implies. According to design researcher
Florian Pfeffer it is the only way not to capitulate to the
complexity of our world. (Pfeffer, 2014) Rather we can
use it in a way of heritage, craft and local ressources
as a continuum of knowlege, bridging the past and the
present. (Franklin & Till, 2018)

While the reinterpretation of materials is nothing new,

neither is the idea of small. Though as Ezio Manzini
states in his S.L.O.C. (small, open, local, connected)
principle for a new society, local and small in the era
of the internet becomes a global implication and the
former small, is far from being insignificant, but gains
value through reproducibility. (Manzini, 2013)

In her 5 Ways project Kate Fletcher for example designs

for a specific street Brick Lane in London, UK. The
output is a hand-knitted bag, made from leather scraps
found in local workshops. It is designed to carry fruit
and vegetable home from the market stalls, thus shop
local, it communicates your community idetity, pointing
4. Five Ways. Kate Fletcher
out that one lives there and uses waste of a local source
employing local people. (Fletcher, 2007)

In her project Discovering Nature, Masayo Ave follows a

completely different approach: framing rituals through
the organic design process. She uses Singapore‘s rich
nature as a source for pattern inspirations and develop-
ment with the output of rugs that speak the language
of the tropical city, abstract narratives on organic dyed
yarns. That shows that even within limited boundaries
of the city, this does not necessarily mean a sole aesthetic
of man-made materiality. (Chua, 2016)
5. Discovering Nature,
Masayo Ave
The city, new boundaries for vegetable leather development 61

THE SOCIAL SIDE OF MATERIALS

In her essay ‘Don‘t do it yourself ’ design researcher
Lisa-Anne Auerbach pledges a new social form of Do-
It-Yourself practices that is uncommercial, based on
sharing, crazy about communities and liberating. (Au-
erbach, 2008)
Concurrently a growing number of designers uses
materials as medium for social innovation, bringing
people in neighbourhoods together. In these places
people can exchange, share knowledge and ideas and
pool their skills. Franklin and Till argue, that in our
increasingly technical world using our hands for more
than pressing buttons, triggers a sense of ‘agency, ful-
filment and empowerment.’(Franklin & Till, 2018, p. 111)
Manzini describes, these ‘Creative communities‘ as people,
who cooperatively invent, enhance and manage in-
novative solutions for new ways of living. In fact, he
describes them as ‘social experiments of possible futures’.
(Manzini, 2015)

The Granby Four Streets iniative is based on making

and design founded in local heritage. Together with
the local residents the Assemble collective have regene-
rated Toxteth neighbourhood in Liverpool. In order to
refurbish local houses and create affordable living, they
have set up a workshop, a social enterprise, that employs
and trains local people to make items for the home
in experimental processes. Examples are mantelpieces
from construction waste or ceramic door handles smoke
6. Granby Four Streets,
Assemble
fired in barbecues. (Franklin & Till, 2018)

Cucula is the name of the refugee company for crafts

and design in Berlin. Addressing the issues of integration
the workshop offers a place to enhance making skills,
empower young people to build a future and access to
education, legal advice and social support. The work-
shop produces the 19 designs from Enzo Mari‘s 1974
manual Autoprogettazione project, which the designer
has granted them the right to sell furniture based on
his designs. (Franklin & Till, 2018)
7. Lampedusa Chairs,
CUCULA
62 The city, new boundaries for vegetable leather development

ABOUT DREAMS & FEASIBILITY

Third Wave Do-It-Yourself claims to be revolutionary
for prosumption, for innovation and for entrepreneurship.
(Fox, 2014)
According to Neil Gershenfeld digital fabrication will
bring the disruptive change for manufacturing, the
same way the internet brought for communications.
(Gershenfeld, 2012)
Microproduction Everywhere could generate ‘new processes
of productive sense-making’ through access to and distributed
control over the production scale and means. (Bianchi-
ni & Maffei, 2013)
Three interconnected ideas, but are they feasible and
operational? The following two example exemplify
beacons in the above mentioned future.

Opendesk offers downloadable furniture design to be

made everywhere in the world. It supports the Open
Making process, which is strictly simple. Designer can
submit work from everywhere in the world and choose
a licence. Customers can download the design and go
to their nearby make shops and produce them them-
selves locally or work with one of the trusted maker
partners from Opendesk. The disruption it implies is
rather social - the experience of engaging in the way
something is made, close to home and customized pre-
cisely to purpose. (Franklin & Till, 2018) Regarding
materials, one of the offered materials is Solidwool,
a new solid material from wool and part of the first
DIY-Materials classification. (Rognoli et al., 2015)
8. Opendesk

The Post-Couture Collective claims to be the first

brand to combine the maker movement and the third
Industrial Revolution. Similarly to Opendesk it is a
open-source project, that lets customers design their
own clothes to be manufactured locally. The use of
laser-cutters and 3D printers as well as the slot tech-
nique result in less waste as the garments do not have
to be sewn. Usually the clothes are designed out of
a breathable and malleable 3D-knitted material, but
the founder Martijn Van Strien also stresses the use of
appropriate local materials, hoping for a lot of added
emotional value. (Franklin & Till, 2018)
9. Post-Couture Collective
The city, new boundaries for vegetable leather development 63

Berlin, a starting of the 21st century. As the city becomes more crowded
the tone harshens up, crime in socially disadvantaged
point for leather from districts such as Neukölln rises as well as the gulf between
the rich and the poor, friction between the old and new
vegetable sources dwellers and gentrification. (Beier et al, 2018)
The effects are very visible on Berlin‘s housing market,
FUTURE URBAN MINING which resembles rather a roulette than anything else
The German capital has undergone drastic political and is victim to speculations on the cost of renters
and architectural changes since the opening of the according to Sören Görtz from die Zeit. (Görtz, 2018)
wall and the reunion of Germany 20 years ago. While Having this in mind as well as the city‘s extraordinary
this has resulted in many new sites that are now heart to structure with seven former cities at the basis, projects
Berlin‘s center like the Jewish memorial or the Spree- like Granby Four Streets would be more than needed.
kanal, it has also left the city with a high amount of
open spaces and green areas. Some like the „Schreber- ABOUT DREAMS & FEASIBILITY
gärten“ known today as Urban gardens carry a long
tradition and are reliving a revival. In other areas the Berlin is clearly facing serious challenges in the upcoming
helplessness of the authority creates space for areas years and the city government is currently working on
like the Holzmarkt, where creatives can live their dreams. a 2030 plan, which shall be starting by 2020. (Beier et
(Beier et al, 2018) al, 2018) Thus it seems to be the right time to introduce a
Construction sites, inner city nature, from car polluted concept like the FabCity philosophy on a bigger scale.
air, it seems Berlin has all the ingredients for material
activism. Regarding active citizenship involvement two examples
show that Berliners are not afraid to neither speak up,
One could now argue, that from bricks one cannot arrive nor to embrace change. In 2018 citizen protests stopped
at leather based on vegetable sources. That is true, but tech-giant Google to set up in their neighbourhood
I would argue this depends on the point of view. Kreuzberg stating ‘Google is not a good neighbour’. The old
Talking to Zuzana Gombosova, part of the From Malai Tempelhof airport area, which was opened to the pu-
team, which produces a leather alternative from Coconut, blic about 10 years ago, has turned into Berlin‘s green
opened my eyes. She mentioned ‘Malai could be produced lungs embracing everyone to be free to use the space
practically everywhere, where you can find an South Indian Res- in their own way. And it was not a planned iniative, it
taurant, because they produce Coconut waste.’ (Zuzana Gom- just happened. By 2014 a votum made it official that
bosova) nothing had to be changed. (Beier et al, 2018)
Thus many iniatives exist, linking and providing them
with the right tools might be the true challenge.
HYPERLOCALITY, IDENTITY, TRADITION &
THE SOCIAL SIDE OF MATERIALS Eventually the take on leather from vegetable ressources.
Berlin is home to about 3,75 million people from 193 Berlin is said to be one of the vegan capitals of the
nations and is steadily growing. Around 40.000 new re- world (Naomi Larrson, 2019) with around 90.000 ve-
sidents arrive every year in the city. While people joke gans living in the city. The trend has started out as a
about the fact, that it is even hard to meet someone, niche and is establishing in what successful Dandy Di-
that originates from the German capital, Beier et al. ner owner call ‘Trend Veganism’ and is now not only con-
from Spiegel Online state that actually everone claims quering food but also clothes and shoes. (FAZ, 2018)
the public space as theirs and makes it clear ‘This city is With a rising market and a huge nurturing start-up
mine’ (Beier et al, 2018) JFK‘s popular quote ‘I am a Ber- culture in the city, working on an alternative from ve-
liner‘ gets a whole new meaning in the reunited Berlin getable sources seems promising.
64 The city, new boundaries for vegetable leather development

Problem Framing
‘A designer can feel right now the will to go home, enter into the But what happens if for any reason you cannot experiment
kitchen and start any materials experimentation experience that in your home? In my case I arrived in Berlin, got hit
may find interesting in any website. After some iterations with the by its very complicated housing market and faced with
material may also will go and buy any open-sourced instrument room mates that were not happy with me growing mu-
that can help improve what have created.‘ (Rognoli & Aya- shrooms in our kitchen or kombucha in the bathtub.
la-Garcia, 2018) For this reason I asked myself the question:

HOW DO MATERIALS ACTIVISTS FIND PLACES TO TINKER ON DIY-LEATHER

EXPERIMENTATION IN A CITY?

NEW IN
TOWN

BERLIN‘S
HOUSING
SHORT
MARKET
RENTS
Framing leather
LEATHER CITY MAP, FOSTERING
DIY-MATERIAL EXPLORATION IN BERLIN

Idea of a leather city map

Maps, tools for orientation
CHAPTER 5
Exploring Berlin’s leather places
Logic of the map
Use Case of the map
Context of the map
66 A leather city map, fostering DIY-Materials exploration in Berlin

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MATERIAL MATERIAL DISTRIBUTED LOCAL

MATERIAL TOURS MEET CITY MATERIAL MANUFAC- MATERIAL
MAP UPS PLATFORM HUBS TURING SHOPS

FEASIBILITY

‚today‘ ‚tomorrow‘ ‚near future‘ ‚far future‘

easy solution, quickly feasible solution, in need difficult to implement, in tricky to implement, in
implementable, done by of further research & fun- need of established local need of established global
individuals ding, done by groups of project partners & funding, project partners & funding,
individuals done by organization done by several organiza-
tions
A leather city map, fostering DIY-Materials exploration in Berlin 67

Idea of a leather
city map
In order to describe the idea I used the JOBS TO BE
DONE method, based on the work of Hannes Jentsch
and Martin Jordan.

CONTEXT (WHERE, WHAT, WHEN…)

Where? an urban area, a city, in this case Berlin
What? giving information about places, where a material
activist can start tinkering with leather, through the
medium of a map
When? independently chosen by the user

DESIRED OUTCOME (WHAT DO I WANT?)

neutral but curated information about relevant places
for DIY exploration of leather; seeing the map as a
tool, that can be used more often
UNWANTED OUTCOME (WHAT TO AVOID?)
commercial map with only visibility of sponsors, re-
presenting a throw-away item after use

FUNCTIONAL JOB
tool for orientation, finding places to experiment

EMOTIONAL JOB
compass, beacon and starting point for tinkering
process and project development

SOCIAL JOB
finding connections to like-mindeds, places to explore

CURRENTLY EMPLOYED SOLUTION

unconnected individual array of places, meet-ups,
online platforms, travel guides, maps of single events
68 A leather city map, fostering DIY-Materials exploration in Berlin

Maps, tools for

orientation
‘As a state-of-the-art scientific tool, helping us to make decisions,
maps can be found everywhere in our daily lives, representing the
world in its smallest details, in any form and at any scale.’
Jasmine Desclaux-Salachas

Thus maps are tools to navigate through our complex

world, linking us as travel companions to the space we
stroll, which can be out of desire or necessity. They
measure, trace and show the world for us in order to
better understand our sourroundings at a local and
global scale, giving detailed information and the possibi-
lity to tell stories about the society in which we live.
(Desclaux-Salachas, 2016)

MAKING THE ROUND FLAT

Map making is a way to ‘express what must be said’ (De-
sclaux-Salachas, 2016 p. 4) and transforming it into
a visionary and universal language. As the earth is a
sphere and globes are limited in transmitting information,
translations to a flat surface are needed. These are called
projections. (Pater, 2016)
But they are not limited in forms and functions as the
history of map making shows. The wooden map of
Greenland‘s shorelines used by the Ammasalink Inuit
were designed to be felt instead of read, while naviga-
ting through the arctic darkness in a kayak. (Harmsen,
2018) It is just one out of many examples of the variety
of maps used by indigenous people. Modern cartography
instead has begun with a similar reason, navigating the
oceans safely, but has transformed into a tool to depict
power from colonialism on. (Pater, 2016)

10. Greenland‘s wooden SHOWING POWER

maps
The mercator map is probably the most common
map used in western society. Based on the drawings of
Gerardus Mercator from 1569 it shows a world in wrong
proportions, overvaluing the so-called white-man‘s 11. Mercator Projection
territories. But still it is the basis for modern maps like
Google maps or Apple maps. This example shows that
through simplifying this reality, cartographers are given
a sense of power, giving meaning and importance to
A leather city map, fostering DIY-Materials exploration in Berlin 69

some and insignificance to other areas. (Pater, 2016)

With the arrival of the information society and a more
and more complex world, good data translation has
the power to translate complex processes to a wider au-
dience. For example showing different point of views
of a debate. The two pictures show maps that depict
the Syrian refugee crisis. The same data, two maps,
two completely different stories. (Pater, 2016) Thus
maps are neither outdated nor quickly drawn but can
be ‘complex, opinionated, political or personal’ not only map-
ping the physical environment, but also human activity.
12. Where are the Syrian refu- (Desclaux-Salachas, 2016) 13. The flow towards Euro-
gees? Gapminder pe, Lucify

MAP MAKING IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Today‘s digital tools create the illusion that a map
can be produced within a few clicks. This is merely
the case, rather mapping is a complicated process. In
order to arrive at a set of information, graphically pre-
pared to allow spontaneous interpretation by readers it
takes ‘tons of work and effort’ (Desclaux-Salachas, 2016,
p. 4) Today this is not only a cartographer‘s work, it
links several disciplines together through the use of ob-
servation, data, technological innovation, collage and
illustration. (Desclaux-Salachas, 2016)
14. Café Cartographiques Recent years see another phenomena on the rise, called
‘civilian mapping’, which aligns map making away from
a subjective art and historical medium towards civilians
expression for the common interest. Café Cartogra-
phiques is a Paris-based service that welcomes the public
to take part in the universe of map making, by hosting
workshops. (Desclaux-Salachas, 2016)
Another direction are digital participatory platforms
designed as research tools to gather citizen‘s opinions 15. Maptionnaire
about life in cities. Maptionnaire was used to ask Helsinki‘s
inhabitants, what they think about a parc and Block
by Block enables unheard voices to be heard in urban
planning in problem areas. (Garassini, 2019)
The series of balloon and kite-mapping kits, instead,
are the DIY-answer to satellite and drone mapping. A
bird perspective on ourselves and earth, offers a human
perspective on science. (Public Lab, 2019)
These trends show that despite its historic problemacy
maps can become powerful tools that can federate
citizenship, curiosities, sensibilities, and creativities like
DIY-material exploration. (Desclaux-Salachas, 2016)
16. DIY- Aerial mapping,
Public Lab
70 A leather city map, fostering DIY-Materials exploration in Berlin

Exploring Berlin‘s
leather places
INITIAL SEARCH PHASE
A simple google search using the keywords: leather in
berlin, leatherplaces in berlin, leathergoods in berlin,
leather manufacturers in berlin was the starting point
of mapping excisting places. The result was a personal
google map, where I marked all places that had leather
in their name or company description.

ANALYSING BERLIN MAPS & GUIDES

In the second step I started collecting maps of the city
in order to analyse them for their functionality on the
one hand and use them as inspiration on the other
hand. Especially interesting and useful, where maps
that were handed out at temporary events, such as the
Berlin Coffee Festival.

primary
desk research
OBJECTIVE: starting point for exploration
A leather city map, fostering DIY-Materials exploration in Berlin 71

MEETING OTHER DIY MATERIAL ENTHUSIASTS

To fully immerse myself in the scene and meet other
DIY-Material enthusiasts I attended two specific
events: The 2-day held Circular Design Forum with
talks, discussions and exhibitions and the opening of
the Textile Prototyping Lab at Fablab Berlin. It was
a good chance to exchange and talk to like-mindeds.

WORKSHOP FOR AN ALTERNATIVE LEATHER

During the Open Source Circular Economy Days in
Berlin I attended a one day Workshop with the topic of
‘How can The Apple Girl a faux leather start-up, be competitive
and fully circular’. Throughout the workshop we brains-
tormed ideas and clustered circular production ways
and communication strategies.

autoetnography
OBJECTIVE: get ‘insider hints’ from local DIY-culture
72 A leather city map, fostering DIY-Materials exploration in Berlin

Exploring Berlin‘s
leather places
REACHING OUT TO ALTERNATIVE PRODUCERS
With the goal to collect material samples of leathers
from vegetable sources, I reached out to 20 alternative
leather producers. In an email I was explaining my
research and asking whether their material could be
produced in an urban context as well. I received five
material samples and had broader insight from three.
‘Producers ask all the wrong questions
about standards, when the right question
would be what the material can do, which
leather cannot’ Sarmite Polakova, PineSkins

‘Malai could be produced practically

everywhere, where you can find an South
Indian Restaurant, because they produce
Coconut waste.’ Zusana Gombosova, Malai

‘I am in contact with Dough producers to

scale the production, but it is hardly
impossible to test and to meet the scope
of machines.’ Hanna Michaud, The Apple Girl

INSIGHT FROM ALTERNATIVE PRODUCERS

Through the initial sample search I got in touch with
Zusana Gombosova, iniator of Made from Malai,
Hanna Michaud, CEO of The Apple Girl and Sarmite
Polakova, designer behind PineSkins. Talking to these
experts was important to understand the broader context
of production and relevant places.

expert views &

secondary desk
research
OBJECTIVE: expert insights on production places
A leather city map, fostering DIY-Materials exploration in Berlin 73

GRASPING BERLIN‘S LEATHER MOOD

With the goal to understand the ‘vibe’ for leather in
Berlin, I started observing in the public: which people
wear and buy it, where advertising or relevant exhibi-
tions or talks are promoted and which places one can
randomly find without actually having done research
before. I collected these impressions over two months.

VISITING BERLIN‘S LEATHER PLACES

In addition to understanding the ‘look and feel’ of leather
in Berlin, I visited the places researched and collected
in the previous phases. While talking to the people in
touch with leather, I collected the name, address, location,
photos if possible and notes for openness to share in-
formation, sustainability and expertise.

observation &
contextual informal
interviews
OBJECTIVE: validation and selection of places gathered
during online research and suggestions
4

WEDDING
10
36

MOABIT

Schloss-
garten

25
Tiergarten

CHARLOTTENBURG 26

16
11

G
dr

SCHÖNEBERG
27

8
41

waterways
#inform
parcs
#inspire
rails
#connect
main roads
#enable
secondary streets
3 24
7
22

Humboldthain
Mauerpark
37

9
6

PRENZLAUER BERG

21 Volkspark
Friedrichshain

MITTE
13

FRIEDRICHSHAIN

20
40
28

KREUZBERG 19

1
34 42
15

32
39
Gleis-
reieck 30
43

NEUKÖLLN

31 2

23 33

Tempelhofer Feld

44
76 A leather city map, fostering DIY-Materials exploration in Berlin

Logic of the map

#INFORM
Immerse yourself in the world of leather and learn
about its history, craft, techniques & types.

This category was inspired by the need to tinker and

to understand leather as a material upfront. In order
to do so, my research showed that one needed material
samples to understand the functionalities and qualities
of leather, to simply explore haptically the variety of
different types of leather, like velour or whole grain.
Additionally next to a traditonal crafting process, material
ressorcing was key for recovered materials. Unders-
tanding the material‘s roots often results in a driving
source for new material development.

Modulor 1
Prinzenstraße 85, 10969 Berlin
Material Mafia 2
Harzer Str. 39, 12059 Berlin
Kunst-Stoffe 3
Berliner Straße 17, 13189 Berlin
Leevenstein Ledermanufaktur 4
Lüderitzstrasse 13, 13351 Berlin
Dr. Josephine Barbe @ TU Berlin 5
Marchstraße 23, 10587 Berlin
Gusti Leder 6
Kastanienallee 13, 10435 Berlin
Leder + mehr 7
Erich-Weinert-Straße 3, 10439 Berlin
L.D Lederservice 8
Hauptstraße 117, 10827 Berlin
Lapáporter 9
Brunnenstrasse 65, 13355 Berlin
Leder Hobby 10
Seestraße 103, 13353 Berlin
Ikono Möbelmanufaktur 11
Budapester Str. 38-50, 10787 Berlin
A leather city map, fostering DIY-Materials exploration in Berlin 77

#INSPIRE
Looking for the sparking idea, get inspired with magazines,
products, events, exhibitions & talks.

While seeking for inspiration might seem very obvious,

it shall not be underestimated. If you arrive in a new
city and are not immediately integrated into a scholarly
context like a university, it is important to find these
places, which often well kept secrets in the community
and not to be found in usual guidebooks. I collected
and listed libraries and bookstores, that keep a good
range of critical and up to date design literature, but
also shops that sell vegan fashion and local exhibition
places connected to culture, food, materiality and design.

12
do you read me?!
Auguststraße 28, 10117 Berlin
13
Dußmann
Friedrichstraße 90, 10117 Berlin

14
Haus der Kulturen der Welt
John-Foster-Dulles-Allee 10, 10557 Berlin

15
Markthalle Neun
Eisenbahnstraße 42/43, 10997 Berlin
16
Bauhaus Archive & Campus
Klingelhöferstraße 14, 10785 Berlin

17
Trippen P100
Potsdamer Straße 100, 10785 Berlin

18
Avesu
Warschauer Str. 33, 10243 Berlin
19
Drive. Volkswagen Group Forum
Friedrichstraße 84, 10117 Berlin
20
Ucon Acrobatics
Gabriel-Max-Straße 16, 10245 Berlin

21
Ecoalf
Alte Schönhauser Str. 5-5a, 10119 Berlin

22
Dear Goods
Schivelbeiner Str. 35, 10439 Berlin
78 A leather city map, fostering DIY-Materials exploration in Berlin

Logic of the map

#CONNECT
Visit these hubs, schools, events & services for a second
opinion or to boost your project.

Often it is simply the exchange with others that triggers

a new idea. Especially in the field of leather alternatives,
a designer can learn a lot from biologists, urbanists
or any other profession. I listed here places that work
around the topics of Circular Economy, Make City
and Vegan and Sustainable Fashion. If one is looking
for further education or a boost to pitch his idea and
seek connections to the industry. Services like beta-
haus‘ start-up pitches or consultancies like Sourcebook
might not be free of cost, but a good investment if a
project is already further progressed.

CRCRL House Berlin 23

Rollbergstraße 26, 12053 Berlin
Kunsthochschule Weißensee 24
Bühringstraße 20, 13086 Berlin
Chora concious city @ TU Berlin 25
Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin
International Design Center 26
Am Park 4, 10785 Berlin
betahouse 27
Rudi-Dutschke-Straße 23, 10969 Berlin
Neonyt @ Kraftwerk Berlin 28
Köpenicker Strasse 70, 10179 Berlin
Udk Schnippeldisco @ Junk Food Project 29
Grunewaldstraße 2, 10823 Berlin
Premium Exhibitions 30
Luckenwalder Str. 4-6, 10963 Berlin
Haute Innovation 31
Fidicinstraße 13, 10965 Berlin
Sourcebook 32
Reichenberger Str. 155, 10999 Berlin
circular.fashion @ CRCRL House Berlin 33
Rollbergstraße 26, 12053 Berlin
A leather city map, fostering DIY-Materials exploration in Berlin 79

#ENABLE
Simply want to get your hands dirty? These labs &
workshops welcome you.

This collection of places is the result of lacking the

possibility to tinker in one‘s home. The category includes
‘traditional’ makerspaces and fablabs, which can usually
be used on a subscription basis, but also spaces more
linked to social and biological themes. While Cucula
and the Crisis Response Makerspace especially ad-
dress social issues and would host projects linked to
these themes other places host workshops and offer
space to experiment around the topics of growing, urban
gardening and natural processes, ideal for growing
leather alternatives.

34
Textile Prototyping Lab @ FabLab Berlin
Prenzlauer Allee 242, 10405 Berlin

35
Maker Space @ Maker Store
Prenzlauer Allee 173, 10409 Berlin
36
Makerspace-Zone Schillerbibliothek
Müllerstraße 149, 13353 Berlin

37
Happy Lab Berlin
Demminer Str. 3, 13355 Berlin

38
The bakery Coworking & Makerspace
Claudiusstraße 6, 10557 Berlin

39
Cucula
Paul-Lincke-Ufer 41, 10999 Berlin
40
Crisis Response Makerspace
Holzmarktstraße 19, 10243 Berlin

41
EUREF Campus Berlin
EUREF-Campus 13, 10829 Berlin

42
Prinzessinnengärten
Prinzenstraße 35-38, 10969 Berlin

43
Edible Alchemy @ Daheim Manufaktur
Dieffenbachstrasse 68, 10967 Berlin
44
Trial & Error Kulturlabor
Braunschweigerstr 80, 12055 Berlin
80 A leather city map, fostering DIY-Materials exploration in Berlin

Use case of the map

PERSONAL TOOL (INFORM)
The material map at its current state is intended as a
personal tool for DIY-material enthusiasts. It should
foster the exploration around leather as a starting
point for a tinkering process. From my point of view
in its printed version it functions as a travel companion
CULTURAL
and resembles a cultural probe for one‘s own project
PROBE
exploration, adding places, notes and personal leather
stories.

INTERACTIVE TOOL
One section on the map offers a way to share the holder‘s
SHARE
story with the curators via Whatsapp, as well as to receive YOUR STORY
an update on the progress via a newsletter in the same
medium.

Context of the map

This section answers the question, where the map can
actually be found?

IN STORE (INSPIRE)
In this case I would adapt a system that already works
well for the city maps I collected in Berlin, especially
those focusing on promoting different quarters, local
places or specific topic areas. These maps are usually CROSS
placed in the locations which are on the map and free COMMERCIAL
LOCAL to take for anyone. This creates a win-win situation for
GUIDE the map, that gets visibility in physical places and a
cross-commercial situation for the mentioned places.

WALKS (CONNECT)
Another point of getting in touch are guided ‘leather
walks‘ hosted ideally by possible partners from the
Enable-section, for example the CRCRL House hosts
Green Fashion Walks, so why not also Material Walks.
The walks would be guided by a ‘connector’ and could
be done by walking or bike according to the host or
chosen by the group. The walks can be thematically or
according to location and would be a nice way to get
to know other enthusiasts.
A leather city map, fostering DIY-Materials exploration in Berlin 81

LIMITATIONS & DIGITALIZATION (ENABLE)

The Materials Map, Edition leather in its current sta-
tus as a printed personal tool in fact has its limitations.
As mentioned before it is an absolute today‘s soluti-
on, a quick win. Consequently critics could say it has
limitations in reach, visibility, interactiveness and ac-
tuality and this is definitely true. Nevertheless the concept
creates a framework for material exploration in cities
that could be adapted and further developed on personal,
local and global scale.

In fact the map is designed to be a first prototype, printed

on the ‘trusted’ (Miadownik, 2013) medium of paper,
which is inexpensive to prototype the solution and a
starting point for a future digital development. In order
to make a difference and not simply be just another
city map or digital map - the Materials Map is in need
of further research, project partners and funding.

FRAMEWORK
As the concept is inspired by the FacCity philosphy it
would be ideal to become part of this ecosystem. Further
development in this case should also follow the Fab-
City Manifesto and its ten values: ecological, inclusive,
glocalism, participatory, economic growth & emp-
loyment, locally productive, people-centred, holistic,
open source philosophy and experimental.

In regards to this vision the following pages outline a

scenario of further research directions and development
of the map.
82 Future Research Directions

Future Research
Directions

MATERIAL MAPS AS A PERSONAL TOOL MATERIAL MAPS AS A CONNECTING TOOL

First step in order to move on would be a user test of As a second iteration on research further stakeholders
the concept and further research. In this case I would should be included that are relevant in the development
suggest to partner with the local art university KHS of materials: local producers, service providers, shop
Weißensee that offers a BA in Textile and Surface Design. owners, brands and goods manufacturers. The Material
A simple online survey with students of this programm Maps tool would help to connect materials activists
would distingish material enthusiasts that are interested with like-mindeds to get feedback on their projects and
in the topic of leather and have just arrived in the to find local collaborations with producers, brands or
city. An experience prototyping session in the city and goods manufacturers to make their projects feasible.
following qualitative interviews would build the basis An initial partnership with the local FabLab could
for information architechture and function development help raise interest and get connections with these
for a digital version, that would also enable designers professionals to iterate the maps as a connecting tool
to interact with the tool. on a local level.
Future Research Directions 83

MATERIAL MAPS AS A PARTICIPATIVE TOOL MATERIAL MAPS AS A GLOCALISTIC TOOL

Calling a design process user-centered the material The next level would be the integration of the tool in
development needs feedback from users. As my research the FacCity project, which would guarantee international
has shown local urban material development can be a testing, review and reputation. Thus in addition to ad-
tool for social inclusion and neighbourhood develop- ding different materials such as plastic, fibers or wood
ment. As these are two very relevant topics in the among others, the map offers a framework for material
city materials maps could collaborate with technical exploration, connection and participation that can be
Know-How providers Maptionnaire or CitizenLab on adapted in other local urban contexts. According to
the one hand and the CityCouncil of Berlin on the other the FabCity philosophy these cities can be connected
hand. The outcome would be a tool for designers to and learn from each other in the development of new
collect feedback about materials in cities directly from materials within the DIDO principle. Different needs
users. For example to find material sources or incentives in different cities would push the development of the
for social material development. map.
84 Conclusion

Conclusion
At the beginning of this project I asked the question, if
leather was a wicked material? Now after working on
the topic, one point of Rittel‘s characterization of wi-
cked problems stands out ‘Wicked problems do not have an
enumerable (or an exhaustively describable) set of potential solu-
tion’ (Rittel & Webber, 1973). For my leather story that
was definitely true, while I set out to develop a physical
material alternative for leather, I ended up working on
a tool to solve a problem I was not even aware of before:
Finding a place to start a tinkering process.

In that sense it was a compelling and engaging project,

that gave me the possibility to dip into a materials
world of research, theories and thoughts far and even-
tually not so far from Product Service System Design.
Thanks to this project, I was able to see a connection
in the two research fields of Material Driven Design,
DIY-Materials & Materials Experience on the one
hand and Service Design on the other hand and to build
my own knowledge system. Eventually both fields are
very pragmatic, hands-on and co-creative.
Approaching this project with the mindset of a Service
Designer has helped me to deepen my understanding CROSS-DISCIPLINARY
of the domain as a cross-disciplinary language.

Throughout this process, I have also grown personally

as a designer, opening up new fields of interest and sol-
ving a problem I had a personal connection with: ma-
terials as a personal activist movement, as a medium to
pro-actively tackle global issues on a local scope and as
a platform for social innovation.
„framing leather in Berlin“

MODULOR

Bildtext

Framing leather in Berlin

86 Bibliography

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[Accessed: 15th February 2019]

Images
1. Material Illusions, Sophie Rowley (http://sophierowley.com/projects-draft/2017/4/6/material-illusions)
2. Mine the scrap, Certain Measures (https://certainmeasures.com/mts_installation.html)
3. Kaalink, Graviky Labs (http://www.graviky.com/kaalink.html)
4. Five Ways. Kate Fletcher (http://katefletcher.com/projects/5-ways/)
5. Discovering Nature, Masayo Ave (Fieldwork Magazine. The Rug Maker, Singapore)
6. Granby Four Streets, Assemble (https://assemblestudio.co.uk/projects/granby-workshop)
7. Lampedusa Chairs, CUCULA (https://www.cucula.org )
8. Opendesk {https://www.opendesk.cc}
9. Post-Couture Collective (http://www.postcouture.cc)
10. Greenland‘s wooden maps {https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/greenland-wooden-maps-ammassalik)
11. Mercator Projection (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercator_projection)
12. Where are the Syrian refugees? Gapminder (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_QrIapiNOw)
13. The flow towards Europe, Lucify (https://www.lucify.com/the-flow-towards-europe/)
14. Café Cartographiques (https://www.facebook.com/CafesCartographiques/)
15. Maptionnaire (https://maptionnaire.com)
16. DIY- Aerial mapping, Public Lab (https://store.publiclab.org/collections/mapping-kits/products/balloon-mapping-kit)

Other images are directly quoted on the page or created by the author.
92 Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Professor Rognoli for her expert
advices, encouragement and flexibility throughout
this project, many thanks to Camilo Ayala-Garcia for
kindly sharing his unpublished research with me and
to Stefano Parisi for last-minute feedback.

Thanks to my family, for their support and guidance,

which I can count on in any situation I face.

I’m grateful to all of those with whom I have had GRAZIE

the pleasure to work and discuss during this project.

I would especially like to thank Pier Paolo Curti for
many motivational speeches, to my saviours in Berlin
Zeynap Özge Aydin & Cemal Caglar Bektas and to
Luzia Kettl for being a great support, even from far
far away.

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