At Virtual NeoCon Aquafil takes the opportunity to create new conversations around sustainability and the future of design

This year, NeoCon tradeshow goes virtual and Aquafil takes part with an interactive showroom.
The Virtual Showroom is centered around sustainability, re-design, and beauty, with no limitation to our imagination and to the ability to connect, with the hope to create new conversations around the future of design.

We decided to collaborate with magazine Interior + Sources to create a virtual sketch of our showroom that can be explored. The sketch was done with the help and collaboration of the students of SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design).
Entering and exploring it is easy.
By clicking on this link, you will find a description and a video interview talking about the design and the material behind the brand new product that we were about to show this year: noho move™ chair, the first chair created with our ECONYL® regenerated nylon.
This chair was created to transform the traditional static nature of home furniture by integrating the dynamic ergonomic comfort of a premium office chair and sustainable design, to create a chair that flexes and flows with any body and can last a lifetime

Moreover, you will find a brief introduction from Chairman and CEO of Aquafil Giulio Bonazzi and the link to download our revised e-book: ‘5 Reasons for Interior Designers and Architects to use Sustainable Materials’.

A second sketch represents the entrance of the Mart, the art-deco building where NeoCon is hosted in Chicago.
Last year it was the first edition of NeoCon Plaza, an outside area to enjoy design inspiration near the river. All the carpets that covered the area were made with our ECONYL® regenerated nylon and the space was designed by Gensler and brought to life by Forward Fruit.
In the sketch you can find a link to a video from 2019.

In this sketch, done virtually for this year, you will see the same space but with a new option of carpet, inspired by the pattern created by Isobel Morris for the hand-knotted rug produced by Sarawagi carpet, and presented at Domotex 2020. The design of this carpet takes inspiration from the fishing nets recovered to make the ECONYL® nylon. So, we decided to bring the raw material that we collect and use front and center, with big stacks of fishing nets and old carpets.
You can explore the videos of how we collect the nets and how we recycle old carpets.

Because we wanted the focus to be centered on sustainability, we also decided to become the main sponsor for the Sustainability Lab by Metropolis, a monthly magazine about architecture and design, with a strong focus on sustainability. The lab is a place to learn more about sustainable design and specification and connect with key experts and manufacturers. Here you can find sustainable products, producers, webinars about sustainability topics, articles and you can ask the experts.

Aquafil, with the ECONYL® brand has a page that features all the products made with ECONYL® nylon. Here we share videos and resources about our process and the brands we work with.
Among the products featured currently you will see the first hand-knotted rug made in Nepal by Sarawagi Rugs and designed by UK designer Isobel Morris, then you will find the Crafted collection by Masland and the beautiful rugs of Punto e Filo, a Brazilian rug producer.

We also included one fashion item we think could inspire designers. It’s the Napapijri Infinity Jacket made entirely with Nylon 6 and that is also 100% recyclable by design. Aquafil will in fact take back the old jackets to regenerate the nylon for new products.
Part of the activities of the Lab will be also a series of webinars that will be streamed on Design TV by Sandow. The webinars that Aquafil/ECONYL® has sponsored:
· SUSTAINABILITY DURING THE SLOWDOWN
· HEALTHY PEOPLE, HEALTHY PLANET
· PUTTING CARBON TO WORK
· DESIGNING RESILIENT SPACES
· THE PANDEMIC IS A PORTAL SUSTAINABILITY

We hope you will enjoy all these events, talks, resources, articles and sketches that are full of inspiring design products and videos. And we hope to spark some interesting conversations about the future of design and materials.
For more, stay tuned with Aquafil and ECONYL® and follow us on our social media.