Fernando Laposse (1988) is a London-based Mexican designer, he trained in Central Saint Martins as a product designer.
“Some of the answers to the environmental challenges of the future might be found in traditional crafts”
Fernando specialises in transforming humble natural materials into refined design pieces. He has worked extensively with overlooked plant fibers such as sisal, loofah, and corn leaves.
His works are the result of periods of research that are developed into objects where materials and their historical and cultural ties to a particular location and its people take center stage. He often works with indigenous communities in his native Mexico to create local employment opportunities and raise awareness about the challenges they face in a globalised world.
His projects are informative and educational adressing topics such as the environmental crisis, the loss of biodiversity, community dissolution, migration and the negative impacts of global trade in local agriculture and food culture. He does so by documenting the issues and announcing possible resolutions through the transformative power of design.
His projects have been exhibited in the Triennale di Milano, Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, The Design Museum in London, Victoria and Albert, the World Economic Forum and Miami Basel to name a few. His work is held in the permanent collections of the V&A and SF Moma.