///EXPO SUSTAINABLE LUXURY

Mary Huang is an interaction designer, fashion futurist and living in Copenhagen-NYC-San Diego. Togerher with and Jennifer Kay they present: Dandelion

1. What is your story behind your product? Inspired by the theme of climate change, Dandelion explores ideas of personal, mobile power generation and kinetics. What if we failed to prevent a climate catastrophe? What if, like castaways after a storm, we had to invent energy sourcing devices from the debris at hand?
Made from 99% salvaged materials, Dandelion is a wearable that captures energy from wind and human movement. It is a structure of miniature windmills that embraces the wearer. When walking or standing outside on a windy day, the windmills turn. Small individual power generating circuits transfer the rotational energy into usable voltage. It is fashion that creates an interface between nature, technology, and people.

2. What are your values of luxury? In luxury I value distinctive, but timeless design that balances a beautiful use of materials and a novel approach to the union of form and function.

3. Where do you find inspiration? In technologies, both new and old. In examining the processes that things are created by. In fairy tales and science fiction.

4. How and why do you engage in aspects of sustainability in your design? (what kind of materials do you use and how do you produce?) Natural materials, and salvaged/recycled materials have a certain sense of direct honesty. I find that recycling materials for a design whenever possible often makes sourcing easier, as well as giving the object a sense of history.

5. What does sustainability (luxury) mean for you as a designer? Sustainability poses an opportunity to explore alternatives to the norm, propose ideas for a closer connection of technology and nature, and experiment with materials. Natural materials, and salvaged/recycled materials have a certain sense of direct honesty.

6. What does sustainability (luxury) mean for you as a consumer? Luxury products are about buying something that has intrinsic value and will last. Fortunately these aspects are naturally inclined to be sustainable

7. What does sustainability (luxury) mean for you in general? Sustainable luxury is a philosophy of appreciating the value of things both man-made and natural. It is respect for the worth of materials and a general mindfulness to waste less.

8. What is your vision on the future concerning design and sustainability? Sustainability is a fundamental philosophy of design, just as appropriate use of materials is a fundamental principle in design. Designing for sustainability is not a constraint, but rather an invitation for new possibilities. In many cases sustainability is simply a matter of decision making based on integrity and common sense over economical efficiency.

Things I like to do: making things with technology, eating ice cream.