Karim Rashid Designs OCEANA Furniture Collection from Ocean Plastic

Everything is hunky-dory in the design world these days. From Herman Miller office chairs to 3D printer beach furniture, every designer is focusing on recycling ocean plastic and giving it a new form and shape. But when it comes to maintaining a balance between form and function, there is no better than Karim Rashid, who is often hailed as the ‘Prince of Plastic’ for his astounding work with plastic. Karim Rashid has recently unveiled his new collection OCEANA, which is designed using ocean plastic.

Karim developed the OCEANA collection in collaboration with Solaris Community. Considered as an ecological step towards holistic design, OCEANA is part of the UN’s Circular Ocean Plastic project “Closing the Loop” which focuses on repurposing marine plastics litter using state of art technology encouraging cross-sectional collaborations.

Inspired by the program, Karim was driven to create a sculptural, more comfortable world through smarter ecological materials. The collection comprises furniture made from upcycled ocean plastic and large-scale 3D printing. At the first glance, it looks like the furniture is carved from ice blocks. However, the chair, table, and sofa are crafted from ocean plastic into premium lifelong products.

Also Read: 10 Sustainable Chairs Made From Recycled Ocean Plastic

Speaking about the project, Karim Rashid said,

I have so much respect for Solaris and their mission so to develop rapid prototyping objects not only saves the earth via the collection of plastics from the ocean but also is manufacturing on demand. MOD is the way of the future, so we don’t overproduce.

Staying true to his reputation, Karim Rashid has once again displayed why he is the ‘Prince of Plastic’ by transforming plastic waste into brand new items. Without any concrete efforts, the planet is destined to choke from plastic. Both terrestrial and marine life is threatened by the non-biodegradable material, however, designers like Karim Rashid are showing a way to help save the planet and its inhabitants through recycling ocean plastic.