Natural materials and traditional techniques as a source of inspiration for design

As part of the ‘Farm to Form to Fair’ research and design project, students of Alexander Sahoo, Professor of Design Fundamentals, and Ursula Zillig, Professor of Fashion Design, presented their work at Milan Design Week 2026. The results were exhibited at Alcova, one of the most prominent platforms at Design Week. This year, Alcova took over the site of the former Baggio military hospital in the Primaticcio district of Milan, creating an extraordinary setting for contemporary design concepts.

The project centred on the question of how contemporary design can be developed using natural materials and traditional craftsmanship. Over the course of a year, the students harvested, researched and processed materials such as willow, sedge, rushes, reed grass, water lilies, strips of tree bark, maize leaves and lime tree bast. In workshops with experienced weavers, craftspeople and designers, they learnt traditional techniques such as plaiting, weaving, wrapping and twisting. Growth, structure, texture and other material properties, alongside the craft itself, became central parameters of the design process. The resulting works range from body-related accessories to furniture and interior objects. They demonstrate how natural materials and traditional techniques can become active sources of inspiration for design.

The students draw a positive conclusion. Emily Kullik (Bachelor’s student in Integrated Design): “Being able to exhibit our pieces during Milan Design Week was a huge opportunity for us to receive feedback from an international audience. Discussing and presenting the designs outside the usual university context opened up new perspectives. In particular, the exchange with people interested in design who weren’t already familiar with wicker objects was especially invigorating and motivating. My favourite comment from visitors was: ‘Your room is so refreshing.’ I believe that we struck exactly the right chord with our exhibition concept. The natural materials made the room smell fresh, and together with the open windows and the beautiful sunlight, a special atmosphere was created the moment you stepped inside. The way the objects were presented also played an important role: by hanging them on the wall, visitors were invited to step into the room and view the works up close. At the same time, our exhibition blended in wonderfully with the Alcova site. Being able to experience all of this within the context of Design Week was an incredible feeling that will remain in my memory for a long time to come.”

“The exhibition in a non-academic context has given us valuable insights into the design industry and its professional working methods. The international exchange and the experience of presenting and communicating our own projects in a relevant exhibition setting were particularly formative. We were able to deepen our knowledge in the areas of curating, project coordination and collaboration, whilst at the same time gaining validation for our creative work. This experience has had a lasting impact on our self-perception as students of Integrated Design,” said Clara Schuster and Elektra Schnee.

Exhibitors: Bianca Belck, Aditi Chauhan, Felix Depping, Emilia Drückler, Sophia Gommeringer, Delaina Hasca, Annika Hollmichel, Sascha Iwana Heller, Enna John, Eunhye Kim, Hyobin Kim, Mika Kross, Emily Kullik, Lena Ludwig, Leonie Noss, Marlene Ostertag, Ite Plaar, Marana Potzkai, Marco Roßnagel, Elektra Schnee, Clara Schuster, Tamar Shalom Shachar, Alia Tasler and Elena Weritz.

The expert workshops were led by Hanswerner Kirschmann, Claudia Reuter, Evey Kwong, Gundel Liebmann, Juliane Petri, Dr Charlett Wenig, Prof. Kai Lehmann, Brigitte Stadler, Maria Thamm and the team of volunteers from the Twistringen Straw Museum.