San Francisco – June 24, 2024.

During this year’s SF Design Week studio crawl, Swissnex in San Francisco presented the work of several 2024 Swiss Design Awards finalists and Swiss projects that participated in the Milano Design Week.

This exhibition aimed to refocus attention on the crucial role of sustainability in design by showcasing how emerging Swiss talents are pioneering the application of circularity techniques—such as reuse, recycling, and the discovery of new material for sustainable practices.

Held in parallel with the Swiss Design Awards at Art Basel, the exhibition offered a unique opportunity to get a glimpse into groundbreaking projects showcased at the world-renowned event in Switzerland, highlighting innovative approaches of emerging Swiss talents who are setting new benchmarks in circular design.

The projects were selected by Swissnex San Francisco with the support of Swiss Design Awards and Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council.

Discover the work of the young Swiss designers setting new standards in sustainable design:

• 3FOLD: A foldable surgical instrument by Laurin Schaffner and Benjamin Josi, enabling quick and contactless application of Hylomate to prevent complications from pacemaker implants (Project finalist of the Swiss Design Awards, Design Research category)
• Berninox: A durable, stainless steel toothbrush by Muriel Ganière Bernard and Julien Bernard, offering a sustainable alternative to the billions of plastic toothbrushes discarded annually (Project showcased at the Milano Design Week 2024)
• Glitch: A bold critique of fast fashion by Gina Grünwald, featuring zero-waste designs made from advertising waste and retired climbing gear (Project finalist of the Swiss Design Awards Fashion and Textile Design category)
• re-club: An innovative unisex shoe for kids by Yohanna Rieckhoff, designed for easy disassembly, recycling, and refurbishing to keep pace with growing feet (Project finalist of the Swiss Design Awards, Product Design category)
• Tectonic Dusts: A project by Denizay Apusoglu and Jonas Kissling that transforms waste from stone quarrying into valuable materials, highlighting the potential of industrial byproducts (Project finalist of the Swiss Design Awards, Product Design category)
• UPS (Under Pressure Solutions): A lightweight furniture system by ECAL designers, made from biodegradable cellulose foam that expands and self-assembles with water (Project showcased at the Milano Design Week 2024)