Recycled plastic

Plastigela

Plastigela is a new material consisting of recycled plastic, ochre, gelatine, glycerine, and water.

Designer Soowon Chae has used recycled plastics as the main ingredient to create a new kind of textile material which has distinguishable texture and colour. Plastic is one of the most critical global issues to be solved and it is threatening the ecosystem and marine life. How to reuse and recycle plastics became one of the biggest challenges to designers.

Normally recycled plastics are utilised by designers through the method of melting and moulding into a new form. However, he used the recycled plastics as artificial pigments by grinding them and making them into tiny small particles. Each side of Plastigela has different colours and textures. One side has a bright colour and rough texture because of the plastic particles and the other has a natural earthy colour and smooth texture because of the ochre.

This material can be hand-stitched or machine-sewed, so it can be used as a normal textile material. And he is continuing the research exploring how to apply the material to the products and textiles.

Text submitted by the maker and edited by the Future Materials Bank. For information about reproducing (a part of) this text, please contact the maker.