Its mantra is "save waste from waste". Carmina Campus sources industrial materials commonly considered as waste that in the hands of highly skilled Italian artisans acquire a daring new life as part of a design object.
Materials collected may be end-of-lines, vintage, unused or defective materials that do not comply with quality standards and also industrial waste, scraps and off-cuts of whatever kind that are turned into cutting-edge bags, jewels or furniture.
Bags are numbered and the materials used are listed on a tag. Being individually unique pieces, no two items are ever alike as to material and composition. Over time, an incredible number and variety of materials could find a new utilisation prolonging its life.
The list includes, among many others, aluminium cans, that inspired an entire line called Space Waste. Bottom cans are decors on various bag lines and bracelets. Pull tabs become rings, earrings and necklaces.
The leather and fur used for the bags always come from Italian manufacturers' colour sample swatches or from remnants of the RTW or glove industry. Swatches are usually employed leaving their number or name codes visible.
Carmina Campus collections are not necessarily seasonal, but rather developed from a given repurposed material or a special feature. The same style can have numerous versions or evolve from one collection to the other with new looks given by different materials and assemblages.
Interior designs are also one-of-a-kind and conceived as artistic works. Chairs, tables, lamps are all special pieces in which the original function of materials is reinterpreted to create something completely new.
The brand collaborates with private corporations, public institutions, ngos and individuals involved in the development of ethical and sustainable projects. Partnerships have been established for co-branded projects with Campari, Mini-BMW and Vibram just to name few.
After a long collaboration in Africa with the UN agency International Trade Centre, the brand has been a partner of Socially MadeinItaly, a social work institution that operates within Italian prisons for working programmes implemented under the supervision of the Italian Ministry of Justice.
