Nienke Hoogvliet

Dutch designer and innovator Nienke Hoogvliet (born in 1989 in Amsterdam) studied Lifestyle and Design at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam, graduating in 2013, before founding her eponymous studio the same year. Hoogvliet’s acclaimed designs are notable for their deep commitment to sustainability and environmental protection through the development of ecological materials and production processes that reduce pollution rather than adding to it.

Case in point is the SEA ME (2014) rug, consisting of sea algae yarn handwoven into plastic netting waste extracted from the ocean, which was presented at the Dutch Design Week in 2014. In RE-SEA ME (2015) Hoogvliet extended the conceptual foundation of her earlier work, delving into experimentation with fish skin and creating a beautiful leather without the use of chemicals that has been incorporated into a delicate rug and a refined stool. Both of these projects were purchased by the Central Museum, Utrecht for the permanent collection. Recently, Hoogvliet worked with the Dutch Water Authorities to create a series of bowls, a dining table, and lamps from reclaimed and purified toilet paper under the title Waterschatten (2016).

Hoogvliet’s work has been exhibited at the Toyama Prefecture Museum of Art & Design in Japan, the Textielmuseum in Tilburg, the Netherlands, Chamber Gallery in New York, and at the Design Biennale Brazil, amongst many others. Studio Neinke Hoogvliet is based in Delft, the Netherlands.