Embracing endings as intentional will shift our mindset. From packaging to fashion, here’s why the new luxury is designing things to disappear
In an era marked by climate anxiety and overwhelming consumerism, the most innovative designs are those that leave no trace—or better yet, those that are made to disappear. Biodegradability is increasingly viewed not as a limitation, but as an asset. We are witnessing a new aesthetics of ephemerality that challenges our obsession with durability and embraces a radical concept: beauty lies in the ability to end.
It’s not just about minimising impact. It’s about designing for disappearance. Today, an object can be created with its end in mind, and its brief existence becomes a part of its identity.
Design That Decomposes (And Why That’s a Good Thing)
The trend of luxury compostability is gaining traction across sectors that once valued permanence, including fashion, packaging, cosmetics and hospitality.
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Danish brand Ganni, in collaboration with the biotech studio Modern Synthesis, has launched the Bou Bag—a hybrid handbag made from bacterial textiles and biodegradable materials, designed to achieve zero impact within a few years.
In France, the collective Paulin Paulin Paulin has introduced a line of seating covered with natural materials that have been treated with enzymes to accelerate decomposition after use. While the design may not last forever, its cultural and ecological contributions hold greater significance than its physical presence.
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In product design and material research, the concept of biodegradability is redefining design logic. The Dutch studio Studio Klarenbeek & Dros has developed 3D-printable bioplastics made from microalgae. Their objects are not just sustainable; they’re meant to integrate into the soil, vanish over time, and complete a natural cycle.
Another standout innovation comes from the German brand Organoid Technologies, which offers sound-absorbing panels made from hemp fibre and lime, designed to be fully biodegradable and compostable at the end of their lifecycle.
Ephemeral Interiors: Biodegradability in Furniture Design
In the world of interior design, biodegradability is becoming increasingly important. Designers are experimenting with organic materials and solutions that balance temporary durability with refined aesthetics.
According to Startupbusiness, key emerging technologies include biologically sourced 3D printing and natural composite fibres, which offer technical performance alongside environmental responsibility. This results in lightweight, customisable, and compostable objects.
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Studio Klarenbeek & Dros has also expanded its work with bioplastics into experimental furniture, creating chairs, lamps, and wall modules that are designed to biodegrade.
Poetic Packaging: Disappearing in Style
One of the most active areas in biodegradability research is food and cosmetic packaging. Unlike the brown-and-green minimalism of the 2000s, today’s compostable designs are decorative, sensory, and tell a story.
The Italian company Favini produces paper made from agricultural waste, including grape skins, citrus peels, and corn. Numerous beauty brands use their Crush line for fully biodegradable and visually elegant packaging.
Meanwhile, in South Korea, designer Yeongseok Go has created Seaweed Papers, a marine-algae-based alternative to plastic that is designed for single-use packaging and dissolves in water within minutes. A simple daily gesture like opening a package transforms into a meaningful ritual.
Fashion That Changes Form (and Fades Away)
In fashion, the challenge is twofold: to create pieces that are both beautiful and impermanent. The goal is to design garments that perform well, move gracefully, and bring joy while avoiding long-term waste in landfills or oceans.
Stella McCartney recently introduced a series of garments and accessories made with biodegradable sequins developed by Radiant Matter and algae-based textiles by Keel Labs. Their efforts represent a perfect union of futuristic aesthetics and near-zero environmental impact.
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Likewise, the algae-sequin dress by Charlotte McCurdy and Phillip Lim, exhibited at the MET Costume Institute, highlights the potential of biodegradable high fashion.
The New Beauty of Impermanence
Biodegradable design requires a fundamental shift in perspective: we must accept that endings are part of the design process. This means envisioning each object as a phase in a larger cycle, engaging in a dialogue with time, the body, and the environment.
This aesthetic of impermanence doesn’t dismiss luxury; rather, it redefines it. True luxury lies in the ability to leave the world better than we found it. It is about designing not for eternity, but for memory, emphasising sensory impact over material value.
Ultimately, what disappears may endure even longer—in our minds, within the earth, in the imagination of future generations.