HOW DESIGNERS ARE TURNING TO FISH SKIN, RICE AND NUTS IN THE QUEST FOR SUSTAINABILITY

Pictured: The likes of discarded fish skin (left), peanut shells and rice husks (middle) could soon line the staple features of your home. According to

Victoria Redshaw (right) of trend forecasters Scarlet Opus, interior product designers are turning to unusual materials in a bid to help lower the

environmental impact of their work and introduce interesting new textures and styles to the design world

03/05/17 – DUBAI, UAE: How would you feel knowing your sofa was once someone’s left-over dinner?

As unusual as it may sound, the likes of discarded fish skin, peanut shells and rice husks could soon line the staple features

of your home.

In the ongoing quest for sustainability, interior product designers are turning to a pool of bizarre new materials in a bid to

help lower the environmental impact of their work and introduce interesting new textures and styles to the design world.

Fish skin leather, for example, is now finding uses in upholstery, furniture and across accessories – such as on cushions.

Rice and nuts can be found as base structure materials, while fabrics discarded from the fashion world are used to insulate,

and waste magazines are becoming wall coverings.

With their alternative feel and cheaper cost, the materials are now superseding the more traditional for many designers.

This month’s INDEX Design Series – the UAE’s biggest interior design exhibition – is exploring the theme Design for the

Senses. UK-based trend forecasters Scarlet Opus are inviting visitors to the show to experience both their Trends Hub and

Trend Tour, which will look at the many different materials finding their way into the wider design domain.

Victoria Redshaw, lead futurist at Scarlet Opus, explained: “As consumer desire grows for makers to be more responsible

about the materials they use, their production processes and how they address waste in getting products to market,

designers are getting ever more creative and innovative in their search for eco-friendly materials.

“Sometimes the use of unexpected materials comes from a serendipitous event, but mostly it’s through the efforts of

niche-designers, younger creatives with a passion to design in sustainable ways and find waste by-product of the food

industry.

“Fish skin leather has been used for some time in fashion, but is now finding its way into the hands of very good designers

in the interiors world. This is because the raw material is much more readily available to them and is using what is

otherwise mostly waste. Using them not only helps to reduce waste material disposal around the world – which in many

countries is very expensive – it also avoids the need to ‘manufacture’ new materials or cause the partial use of yet more

natural resources.”

The INDEX Trends Hub will showcase eight products from around the world that have been designed and manufactured to

achieve 100% sustainability. Those include a salmon-skin drum table made, a pasta bowl made out of one million year-old

slate, and a pair of sunglasses devised from shrub-plants.

INDEX director Samantha Kane-Macdonald said: “Our Trends Hub and Trend Tour will really open people’s eyes to the

changing of the guard in traditional material use. INDEX prides itself on looking to the future of design and – although it

may sound outlandish – foodstuffs are now crossing into the textural and architectural sides of design and having a genuine

impact. Not only does this present major environmental and financial benefits, but exciting new opportunities for design

too.”

With more high-end exhibitors amongst the show floors’ 800 stands than ever before, the INDEX Design Series is promising

a style experience like no other in 2017. The four-day show – running May 22-25 at the Dubai World Trade Centre,

alongside Middle East Covering and workspace – will explore Design for the Senses; furniture, furnishings and décor that

not only stimulate visually, but trigger a sensory feast, bringing design to life. The show, this year set in a lush forest

environment, will welcome many of the world’s most exclusive home brands and is promising to be the design event of the

season.

London style icon Henry Holland and former British Designer of the Year Bethan Gray will take part in four days of engaging

Design Talks, sponsored by OFIS. Jo Hamilton, widely regarded as the UK’s leading high-end interior designer, will also

feature, offering direct advice on how to create the perfect interior and on hand to meet and discuss design with interested

parties. Harrods Interiors will welcome the show’s leading visitors into a stunning VIP Oasis in the heart of the exhibition.

Register now for free at www.indexdesignseries.com/register

ENDS

For more information, contact Euan McLelland, PR Manager at INDEX Design Series, on +971-4-445-3720, or email

euanmclelland@dmgeventsme.com

INDEX Design Series is the largest and longest running collection of interior, design and trend exhibitions in the Middle

East. Established in 1990, INDEX Design Series, organised by dmg events Middle East, Asia & Africa are 8 focused events

that present a rich and varied array of innovative, original and creative products and solutions for residential, retail,

hospitality, educational, commercial, healthcare properties. Comprised of the following focused sectors, the INDEX Design

Series, held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai is an interiors experience like no-other in the region:

Furniture & Furnishings at INDEX

Kitchen & Bathroom at INDEX

Textiles at INDEX

Objets at INDEX

Sleep at INDEX

Lighting at INDEX

workspace at INDEX

Middle East Covering

INDEX Design Series is hosted at the Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The 27th edition will take

place from 22 – 25 May, 2017. For more information please visit, indexdesignseries.com

About dmg events

An international exhibition and publishing company, dmg events produces market-leading exhibitions and conferences for

the global energy, construction, coatings, hospitality and interior design industries.

dmg events is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Daily Mail and General Trust plc (DMGT) an international portfolio of

information, media and events businesses listed on the London stock exchange.

dmg events Middle East, Asia & Africa

Founded in 1989, dmg events has operated in the Middle East since 1995 and owns many leading brands including The Big

5 portfolio of construction events, INDEX – the Middle East’s largest event for the interior design industry and The Hotel

Show, the longest running and most important event for the hospitality industry.

Headquartered in Dubai, UAE and with satellite offices in India, South Africa and the UK, dmg events Middle East, Asia &

Africa organizes over 45 events across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, North America and Europe. For more information visit

www.dmgeventsme.com

About DMGT

DMGT manages a diverse, multinational portfolio of companies, with total revenues of almost £2bn, that provide

businesses and consumers with compelling information, analysis, insight, events, news and entertainment. DMGT is also a

founding investor and the largest shareholder of Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC and ZPG Plc.

For more information visit www.dmgt.com