Transformations sometimes start with the simplest of things. Michela, who lives on the beautiful island of Mauritius, was travelling on a bus when she casually wrapped the bus ticket around her finger to make a ring. To her surprise, the ring stayed on her finger for the entire day. This simple memory got etched into her thoughts, and together with her deep passion for preserving the environment, an idea was born. Michela knew at that point that she wanted to make beautiful products that would bring people joy by repurposing and reusing paper that was otherwise going to be thrown away.
While this transformational idea originated on a simple bus ride, transforming trash to treasure isn’t that simple.She learnt the art of rolled paper beads which is an ancient art especially popular in the Victorian era. In order to be an expert at repurposing, one needs to be creative, resourceful and innovative. Strong attention to detail and a creative vision is needed to pre-select raw materials (newspaper, brochures, magazines etc.) and that needs to be balanced with technical expertise to convert them into beautiful beads. Elements like the weight of the paper, its composition, and how it all bonds together require a great deal of technical expertise and experience.
Michela has been sourcing old magazines and newspapers from her neighbours and friends but has recently started receiving industrial paper waste. She also makes some jewellery using old textile fabric. Besides jewellery, her other passion is creating home decor items using old newspapers.
“There is a strong feeling of satisfaction after each creation, knowing that I'm doing my part for the protection of the environment.” says Michela.
Leave a comment