KISD
POLP.studio is a community platform/website. It provides free access to the pattern of it's product and instructions to turn old jeans into matching shorts and bags in the style of bricolage. The project is about encouraging individuals to transition from consumers to makers, closing a gap in the Make > Sell > Buy cycle by embedding the consumer into the chain of production. The online shop stocks itself through community involvement and is available to everyone as a marketplace to list their creations for sale or trade.
The POLP pattern is made to standard A2 dimensions which minimises waste and enables future risograph production. It’s available on the website as a 4-page A4 PDF for easy home printing and assembly.
POLP is influenced by the relationship between the Bauhaus and Arts and Crafts movements. The pattern places functionality before form in a simplistic design available to the masses, whilst also appreciating the importance of the individual craftsperson and small scale production circa the Arts and Crafts movement.
In response to the RED Design Councils Paper 02, POLP is interested in transformational design as a means of social change, reform and self-empowerment. It recognises that design can be harnessed as a tool to combat social problems, in this case closing the gap between the producer and the consumer of goods with awareness of sustainability and accessibility. By up-cycling jeans and providing free pattern access and instructions, POLP maximises the accessibility to those with less means and contributes to the creation of a circular economy.