Secrid Talent Podium

Industrial Evolution

Secrid believes in the power of design. Look around you. Everything is designed. From the clothes you are wearing, to the phone in your pocket and the building you are in. All these products shape our society and impact our ecosystems.

Since the Industrial Revolution and the relocation of factories to low-wage countries, mass production of low-price and short-lifespan products has become the norm. This development has brought prosperity to some, but also social inequality, depleted raw materials, environmental pollution, declining biodiversity and a climate crisis.

Industry cannot be stopped, but it can be changed. We see a leading role for designers within that transition. The general guideline is simple: every new product must be better than its predecessors. We call this: Industrial Evolution.

During Dutch Design Week we put the spotlight on 7 talented designers. Creatives who boost the evolution of their industry with an innovative approach. In addition, we offer each designer coaching and an award of €7,777: a reference to our 7 design principles for holistic product design.

Design as a force for good

In collaboration with Dutch Design Foundation and Impact Hub Amsterdam, these designers are selected for the 2024 edition:

Pauline van Dongen | SUNTEX
Power up and cool down with solar textile for canopies, facades and tents

Lotte Douwes | Meaningful Matter
High-quality tableware and interior products from ceramic waste

Boey Wang | Haptics of Cooking
Beautiful and sensory kitchenware for both sighted and visually impaired users

Hedwig Heinsman, Martine de Wit & Hans Vermeulen | Aectual
3D printed interior solutions made from circular waste streams

Milou Voorwinden | Studio Milou Voorwinden
3D weaving techniques for zero-waste clothing and textile production

Huub Looze & Margreet van Uffelen | Omlab
Biocircular and low-emission construction objects that promote biodiversity

Doreen Westphal | Resty & Fungi on Fire
Tasty and nutritious products made of high-quality food waste.

Design dilemmas

As consumers, we only see the end product. But every design, and every improvement, is preceded by a complex process of choices. During DDW we want to provide an insight into the conscious choices and dilemmas that our design talents and we ourselves face in our work. We hope this will open up conversations and ultimately lead to change.

Talented designers can help to solve some of the biggest dilemmas of our time. That’s why we invite designers to apply for the next edition of the design challenge that is organised by What Design Can Do. Three winners of the recent 'Redesign Everything Challenge' are supported by Secrid and their work is also shown in this exhibition:

Celium™ by Polybion | Axel, Alexis Gómez Ortigoza and team
Bio-textile made of cellulose, cultivated with bacteria that eat agricultural waste

Electric Skin | Paige Perillat Piratoine, Catherine Euale, Nada Elkharashi, and Sequoia Fischer
Speculative idea to use bacteria that naturally produce electrical proteins in electronics

ForestGuard | Dr. Muhammed Ali Örnek & Suat Batuhan Esirger and team
Device that detects forest fires in a very early stage to protect communities and natural habitats