Designer Carmelita Gonesh works with Diezijner for Groningen Designs on a design that inspires behavioural change. She works with discarded clothing that can no longer be sold because of a weaving error, for example. You can see the end result at the store during the design route on Sunday 3 November. GO!
1. Can you briefly describe yourself and your work?
‘I am Carmelita Gonesh, and I am an interior and product designer. Woonstiel Designs is my creation. Everything in the field of living and interior can be reviewed. Due to the variety of projects that I am working on, I switched from Studio in Livingstiel to Woonstiel Design. I like to design as a solution instead of an addition, and I prefer to do this with waste streams. This is how the “mood tool” was created in the past, a conceptual mood board, but on a discarded chair. When Eileen approached me and asked if I could contribute ideas with Diezijner for Groningen Designs, I was immediately enthusiastic.’
2. What are you currently working on and for which store?
‘Together with Nienke from Diezijner, I started creating a product that inspires behavioural change. It is in the window.’
3. Which waste material will you use and why?
‘We looked at the largest waste stream that the store has to deal with, and this concerns discarded clothing, the well-known ‘B’ choices. These B choices can no longer be sold via the normal route and they are saved as residual clothing – to be thrown away at the end of the season because of the speed at which collections follow each other. The clothing is discarded due to small production errors such as a weaving error, stitching or painting error. These “errors” are often not even visible and easy to correct. We have saved the B choices of the Zilch brand, which are being processed into a new product.’
4. Where do you get your inspiration from?
‘I get inspiration from everything. It is the way of thinking and looking at things around you that triggers the creative process. It could be a beautiful colour, but also an old lady who needs help crossing the street. Of course, the approach differs for every designer, which makes each designer unique.’
5. What do you think of the theme in terms of hospitability (with doors closed)?
‘It is a huge challenge because it is a contradiction. A closed door is simply not welcoming. For many retailers, this is very difficult in the winter months. I used to be co-owner of a pop-up shop and we also had to deal with this problem. This is why we always paid extra attention to the shop window and the styling of the store. This is why I will do the showcase for Diezijner with (hopefully) a super cool new product.’
Here you can read more about the project Groningen Ontwerpt and the other designers.
Photography: Janna Bathoorn.