Over a few intense days during Madrid Design Festival, Elmo’s leftover leather was transformed into a series of lamps in a temporary shop in Madrid. Designed by Estrella Poza Ruiz and Ilaria Franceschini, and produced together with Soulem Foundation, the pieces were not only new objects, but part of a process shaped by collaboration, craft and opportunity.
The shop, OFFLINE Connecting Human Shop, brought together designers from Tetuán Crea, students from Norte Joven and artisans from Soulem. Set up as part of the Viveros initiative, it functioned as a real retail space – a place where ideas were tested through making, selling and use.
At the centre of the project was material already in circulation. Offcuts and second-grade leather became the starting point for the designs, setting clear conditions from the outset.
“For us, the leather wasn’t just a resource – it defined how we approached the whole project.”
“Working with existing materials shifts the focus from consumption to transformation,” says Estrella. “For us, the leather wasn’t just a resource – it defined how we approached the whole project.”
The lamps took shape through a close dialogue between design and making. In Soulem’s workshop, each piece was constructed by hand, translating material into structure.
Soulem is a purpose-driven organisation with a strong social mission, creating employment opportunities for women in vulnerable situations through craftsmanship. In this context, production becomes more than execution. It becomes a way into work, continuity and independence.
“It’s about recognizing value in what already exists. Limitations become a source of creativity,” Ilaria explains.
For the students from Norte Joven, the project extended beyond the workshop. The objects they helped develop were placed in a functioning store, connecting design decisions directly to a public setting.
“The value lies in the process rather than the final objects,” says Marta Pascual, who led the project through U-Ak Social Design Project. “It’s a shared effort, where each part contributes to something larger.”
Seen together, the project moves from leftover material to finished object, from individual craft to collective work.
