Through her discipline-blurring practice, the German-born, Helsinki-based designer Julia Lohmann explores the intersection of ethics, sustainability, and our connection to the natural world. After graduating in Design Products from London’s Royal College of Art in 2004, her early work critically examined the use of animal materials, questioning how we transform animals into objects and the ethical implications of that process. Lohmann’s ongoing fascination with the alienation between humans and nature, and ways in which we can overcome it, has remained a central theme throughout her career.
A pivotal moment came during a visit to Japan, where Lohmann encountered seaweed and recognised its potential as a sustainable material—likening its versatility to leather but without the ethical complexities of animal death. Delving deeper, she discovered seaweed’s ecological benefits and in 2013 set up The Department of Seaweed, a platform for interdisciplinary research and experimentation with the material.
