(Milan Design Week report)

Svartbysvart is teaming up with French artist Minuit to design a series of wearable items created from fishing equipment destined for the trash. Clothing, accessories and artworks intricately hand made from thousands of strands of fishing cords, nets and ropes recovered from the Icelandic shoreline, make a statement against ocean pollution, while displaying a unique way of re-purposing fishing debris and otherwise harmful objects. As fishing nets are carefully designed to catch different types of fish, we want to further expand the design work and turn their uses into catching emotions and expressions of humans.

“I’ve been exploring many sources of inspiration for the past few years but I’m now longing to reunite with the ocean. The ocean is where I feel unity with the planet, nature and existence.”

Marko Svart

Svart and Minuit are strong advocates for ocean conservation, concerned about the current state of our seas. This project particularly highlights the issues of “ghost nets”, fishing nets left or lost in the ocean by fishermen, tangled on reefs or drifting in the open sea.

Fishermen often abandon worn-out nets because it is often the easiest way to get rid of them. Synthetic fishing nets take up to 600 years to decompose, thus causing harm for a vastly longer time than intended.

As designers we have the responsibility to use our creativity to pursue a cleaner, less polluted future, doing everything we can to minimize our environmental impact. Iceland is one of the cleanest places on earth, but we need to work on keeping it this way for the future as well.

This project is a beginning towards a new way of thinking of materials and re-usability. Similar to our project Yomigæri from last year’s DesignMarch in Reykjavík, this experiment will give foundation to future designs and I wish to be able to keep using fishnets in more accessible clothes as well.

There are a lot of discarded fishing nets and since there is no effective way to recycle them, I am up for the challenge!

About the artists:

Marko Svart is a Swedish/Finnish multi-artist and designer, based in Reykjavík since 2017. His work spans over several art mediums and he views his artistry as one whole identity, believing in the importance of personal growth as a creator. Svart’s main goal is to be completely free in his creativity, always working without boundaries or limitations, exploring the universe of artistry as a whole. His work range includes fashion design and tailoring, ceramics, conceptual art, performance, film and music.

Minuit is a French artist with close ties and several past exhibitions in Iceland. Her work range includes sculpture, installation, watercolor, photography, writing or drawing, consistently inspired by the sea, Minuit stands where art, nature and forgotten legends intersect.

About svartbysvart:

Svartbysvart is a Reykjavík based fashion brand creating fully unisex clothing and accessories, all individually hand made by Scandinavian artist Marko Svart.

Aesthetically we fuse Scandinavian melancholy with Finnish/ Japanese characteristics of minimalism and form.

All pictures are photographed by Marko Svart, and may be used and edited for press purposes.

Marko Svart artist/designer www.markosvart.com

Minuit artist www.m-i-n-u-i-t.com

Svartbysvart Shop/atelier Týsgata 1 / 101 Reykjavík www.svartbysvart.com

FLÆKJA Project originally created byMarko Svart & Minuit Assistant & Model : Yukí

All pieces are hand made in Reykjavik by the artists and the assistant.