We are back. And we are bringing Crafted Liberation to Melbourne, made from materials co-created in Melbourne.
For Melbourne Design Week 2026, we are presenting a chair made entirely from Parisima Kouklan’s @banou_melbourne ‘Cloth of Unity’ metres of calico fabric carried to every Women Life Freedom protest in Melbourne and Canberra, where hundreds of Iranians and non-Iranians stopped, knelt, and wrote. Their names. Their grief. Their solidarity. In Farsi, in English, Mandarin and many more languages, in handprints pressed in red.
That fabric is now a chair. Built using the same material process we developed for Crafted Liberation by @thelpmproject , waste textiles laminated with waste plastics, pressed into form. Every surface still carries the writing.
This is a collaboration between two Iranian-Australian women designers who believe that what we call waste is simply a resource we haven’t learned to value yet.
And that design can hold what politics cannot.
A global network of unity, of solidarity.
100 Chairs. @friends.associates . Abbotsford Convent, Melbourne. 14–24 May 2026.
@parisima_kouklan@friends.associates@melbournedesignweek@abbotsfordconvent@design_institute_au@ngvmelbourne
#CraftedLiberation #ClothOfUnity #melbournedesignweek2026 #100Chairs
Still thinking about Sunday with @ep.cleanup . 🚒🍃
Buckets of plastic, coastal sunshine, and a crew turning clean-ups into connection. Grateful to be part of something that feels this good - and does even better.
Not just one award - but two!
To have our work recognised at this level, alongside such an impressive group of businesses, is something we’re incredibly proud of.
This project has always been about pushing boundaries - finding new ways to turn waste into resources, and building solutions that drive both local impact and broader change.
With awards day now on the horizon, we’re taking a moment to reflect on how far it’s come. A huge thanks to everyone who’s been part of the journey so far - and here’s to what’s next.
Big news - we’ve been shortlisted!
To have our work recognised at this level, alongside such an impressive group of businesses, is something we’re incredibly proud of.
This project has always been about turning waste into new resources - and building solutions that create real-world impact, here and beyond.
With awards day now on the horizon, we’re taking a moment to celebrate - and to thank everyone who’s been part of the journey so far. More soon!
Big news - we’re now part of a brand new marketplace helping Australians shop better.
Our recycled plastic frisbees have officially landed on @dezineryaustralia - a new online store built to champion reusable, recycled, and upcycled products.
Every year, Australians generate nearly 3 tonnes of waste per person - and despite growing awareness, only around 15% of plastic waste is actually recycled.
Dezinery was created to change that - making it easier to buy recycled goods that don’t just look good, but perform as well as (or better than) products made from virgin materials.
The store champions local micro-manufacturers - small-scale makers turning waste into something useful, well-designed, and built to last. It’s all about supporting circular solutions, reducing reliance on virgin materials, and keeping more waste out of landfill.
We’re stoked to have our frisbees included - 100% recycled plastic, made locally, and now live on site. Go check them out!
The facility is one thing. But the people - they’re everything.
Over the course of just a few weeks, Dels, Loddy, Wise and Young went from curious learners to confident leaders, running machines, testing moulds, and making real products from local waste plastic.
We came in with the tech, but they brought the commitment. The skills. The drive to create something that lasts.
Watching them take ownership of this project - and seeing their pride in what they built - was one of the most powerful parts of this entire experience.
We’ll never stop talking about the importance of community-led change. But this team showed us what that really means.
The LPM Project wouldn’t be what it is without them.
#FijiLPMFacility
Last week we shared what Fiji felt like.
This week, here’s a bit more about what we actually did.
In October 2024, we launched our first community recycling facility just outside Suva, at the Centre for Appropriate Technology and Development (CATD).
Using machinery designed by our team, we trained local Fijians to turn plastic waste into useful, long-lasting products - from pet bowls and flying discs to full-scale street poles.
But the real goal? Local knowledge. Local ownership. Local impact.
Every item produced is sold through our store, with 100% of proceeds going back into the community and into expanding future LPM sites.
This facility isn’t just about recycling - it’s about showing what circularity looks like when it starts from the ground up.
#FijiLPMFacility
