Rome University of Fine Arts showcases innovative projects at Milan Design Week, promoting sustainability and kinship through design.

RUFA, the Rome University of Fine Arts, is set to participate in the highly anticipated Milan Design Week 2025 as part of the We Will Design project, an experimental platform promoted by BASE Milano. This year, the initiative revolves around the theme of “Making Kin,” drawing inspiration from the works of scholar Donna Haraway. The concept of kinship, which explores unconventional connections between humans, non-humans, and beyond, aims to rethink the relationships between design, the environment, and community. It serves as an invitation for designers to forge unions rooted in conscious choices, common interests, and shared sensitivities, transforming kinship into a form of creative resistance.

At the exhibition, RUFA will showcase a collection titled “Re-Designing Sustainability: New Forms, New Materials,” featuring innovative products crafted by students from the three-year Sustainable Design and Fashion Design courses. The students worked under the guidance of professors Alessandro Ciancio, Paolo Parea, and Gianluca Lera, with support from Guenda Cermel, who coordinates the fashion course.

Students embraced the Making Kin theme by developing projects that explore interconnection and durability, focusing on the conscious use of waste materials and upcycling techniques. Collaborating with Petrozzi Design Srls, a leader in the processing of plastic materials, the projects include prototypes that aim to redefine the perception of plastic as a disposable resource, instead promoting it as a durable and functional asset.

Two key principles underpin the exhibited collection:

1. A New Approach to Plastic: Often criticized for its long-lasting nature, plastic is reinterpreted as a valuable material capable of extending its lifecycle, thus reducing environmental impact and advocating sustainability that values both beauty and functionality.

2. Upcycling as a Tool for Connection: By utilizing production scraps such as leftover sheets of plexiglass typically destined for disposal, RUFA students showcase how design can create new genealogies of objects, reimagining the interplay of materials and resources in daily life.

This perspective aligns seamlessly with the We Will Design – Making Kin manifesto, which encourages designers to explore new relationship-building methods while moving away from mass production towards more ethical, circular, and inclusive design practices.

Through its participation, RUFA emphasizes its commitment to training forward-thinking designers who can turn environmental challenges into creative solutions, championing a vision of design that is intertwined with social and ecological responsibility.

The exhibition features a diverse array of works, including:

• Mondrian Cat: A wall-mounted game for cats designed by Clara Zeppetella, merging art and functionality.

• VOLUT: A versatile stool by Gabriel Martino that serves dual purposes as a seat and bookshelf, highlighted by its elegant steel and marble construction.

• WAVES: A partition wall by designers Alessia Gobbi and Gaia Sacco that revitalizes industrial waste materials while evoking fluid and organic shapes.

• RørChair: A transparent plexiglass chair by Lucrezia Cerbara that aims to embody lightness and vibrancy with its contemporary design.

• Dominazione: A thought-provoking chair by Arianna Davi that explores themes of form and meaning through its unique and provocative design.

• Twist-N-Tie: A stool by Sofia Amaro that critiques overproduction, visually representing consumerism through its playful yet meaningful form.

• Concept: A customizable chaise longue by Federico Fuschini that caters to market trends and user needs with its modular design.

• Rilegno: A wall lamp by Helena Litvinyuk that innovatively transforms a wooden crate into a blend of rustic simplicity and creative potential.

• ITERA: A series of lamps by Helena Litvinyuk, created using predominantly waste materials, capturing a blend of industrial and playful design reminiscent of 1970s Italy.

• Steno: A table lamp by Valentina Marino, evoking nostalgia with its concrete base and filament light, while serving as a reflection on the past and present.

• Halo: A bag by designers Leonardo Messina and Elizia Cinquedita, drawing inspiration from urban environments and constructed with recyclable plexiglass to symbolize contemporary city life.

The project is coordinated by Alessandro Ciancio and Paolo Parea, both of whom play significant roles in shaping the future of design at RUFA. Their efforts in this exhibition signify an ongoing commitment to advance sustainable design principles in an ever-evolving field.

Source: Noah Wire Services