While studying in Copenhagen, I was inspired by how thoughtful design transforms everyday details into moments of grace. In my own practice, I strive to bring this mindset to reimagining materials that lack such intentionality. This led me to create textiles from plastic grocery bags by ironing them into water-repellent layers, which I then quilted into functional items like the reusable tote pictured. Drawing on Korean quilting techniques like pojagi, working with fused plastics has deepened my focus on reusing materials as part of a more sustainable, “reuse-driven” approach to design—one I see as the future of the field.

While backpacking through the Amazon, I found inspiration for a tent made from the material I developed. Each night, I slept in the same tent my dad had bought as his first big investment in college—a trusted refuge that became my private enclave during one of the most surreal, inspiring, and exhausting experiences of my life. Every morning, the sun filtered through the nylon, casting a warm, shifting glow. It reminded me of stained glass in motion, and I became fascinated by the idea of a nomadic sanctuary that played with light in a similar way.