Riina O personal exhibition in London

Riina O is delighted to introduce our first personal exhibition in London on the windows of YKK Showroom in Shoreditch.

The windows have been transformed into an exhibition space displaying the collection of handbags and accessories made of the SCOBY-compo material that Riina developed from the waste of local kombucha drink industry as part of her final project for MA Material Futures at Central Saint Martins. The work process is shown in detail from the kombucha fermentation process to a makeshift labspace.

Working closely with local communities to utilise the waste bacterial cellulose generated by local kombucha drink producers, Riina has developed a system to re-process the waste Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast (SCOBY) into a new, more sustainable, vegan, leather-like material, called SCOBY-compo.

The aim is to create a fully circular, closed loop system where the organic waste material can be harvested, processed, sold and eventually home composted at the end of its life cycle and, rather than contaminating the environment, nurture it.

Crafting Organic Waste For Fashion is a collection of handbags and purses that each demonstrate a different technique for production - from traditional stitching to modular assembly and liquid moulding.