EMERGING IDEA

Designers are 're-outfitting' iconic furniture to bring a fresh to classic pieces - is it art or design sacrilege? perspective

-  HUGH METCALF

'Upcycling is a word that makes me cringe,' says Camella Ehlke, the designer and artist behind Hey What's Up?, a collection of chairs re-imagined using surplus fabrics from the fashion industry. 'It's similar to how I'm cautious of terms like craft being applied to what I do. When it's men in these spaces, it's called fine art, but when it's women, it's called craft.'

Her debut furniture collection began through conversations with legendary designer Virgil Abloh, a connection that stems from Camella's background as co-founder of streetwear brand 555 Soul. Looking to get creative with textiles again, Camella landed on the concept of creating artistic covers for a series of chairs using offcuts primarily provided by Virgil's fashion brand Off-White. 'Streetwear is all about collaborations,' Camella says.