Swedish industrial designer Gustaf Westman has collaborated with hosiery brand Swedish Stockings to create a limited-edition collection of tables made from recycled tights.
Named Tights to Tables, each item in the collection was created using between 80 to 350 pairs of recycled nylon tights per table.
“The size of the piece determines how many pairs we use — for the smaller tables, the number is around 80, and for the larger dining tables we need more tights because the size of the table is much bigger”, Swedish Stockings CEO Linn Frisinger told Dezeen.
The tights are ground down and mixed with recycled glass fibre to form a durable material for table construction.
“We grind down the tights and mix them with recycled glass fibre that is then pressed in cylinder moulds and then polished and sanded by hand,” Frisinger explained.
“The terrazzo-like pattern created on each table is unique due to the pieces of tights showing up within the glass fibre.”
The collection, which is made up of five tables, was created by hand at the Swedish Stockings warehouse in Köping, Sweden.
Swedish Stockings likened the design process to that of creating fibreglass tanks, except the sanding and finishing of the tables was done entirely by hand.
The brand drew inspiration from the Earth’s natural resources, particularly stones and marble, to design the collection.
According to Swedish Stockings. Tights to Tables symbolises its commitment to preserving the planet’s limited resources.
In 2016, the brand launched its Recycling Club to collect old tights from any brand and repurpose them into new products.
“We wanted to combat nylons ending up in the landfills, so we decided to start up our take-back program, where our customers could send back their old tights to us from any brand”, Frisinger said.
The Recycling Club demonstrates how to close the loop on textiles by turning used nylon stockings into longer-lasting products.
“We wanted to show the world that you could extend the lifespan of tights by creating pieces you can have in your home for decades to come”, Frisinger concluded.
Other table designs recently published on Dezeen include a collection of tables and benches made from hollow aluminium tubes and a wooden furniture collection by British designer John Pawson.
The photography is courtesy of Swedish Stockings.
