Celebrating Design Excellence: Announcing the ADORNO x WANTED Prize Winners

“I firmly believe that design and social responsibility cannot exist in isolation”

– CoCo Ree Lemery

Social Impact Prize
CoCo Ree Lemery
Studio Kloak

CoCo Ree Lemery of Studio Kloak receives the Social Impact Prize for her transformative work utilizing waste materials from abandoned local structures. Her dedication to sustainability, education, and empowerment of female-identified makers stands out. By converting waste into striking, sustainable pieces, Lemery addresses environmental concerns thereby fostering a more conscious consumer culture.

At Studio Kloak, each collection starts with a waste product, emphasizing the importance of transferring knowledge, enhancing environmental quality, and promoting inclusivity. Lemery’s innovative approach turns her studio into a practice-based research lab, pushing the boundaries of design and social responsibility. Her upcoming course on cultivating mycelium from demolition waste and a 10-week intensive workshop for female-identified makers are testaments to her commitment to education and empowerment.

Lemery’s extensive experience, including her previous roles at Hudson Valley Lighting and Pottery Barn, enriches her practice. Her work underscores the importance of genuine sustainability and the potential for fellow independent makers to drive change.

“The process allows for the production of complex forms and structures. LOST leverages this flexibility to refine the designs into one-piece-body objects, eliminating the complicated production and assembly processes.”

– Mehmet Birtane

Crafts Innovation Prize
Mehmet Birtane
Studio Birtane

Mehmet of Studio Birtane is honored with the Crafts Innovation Prize for his “Lost” collection, which demonstrates his openness to spontaneity in the process. By adapting his usual cardboard modeling techniques to lost wax casting with aluminum, Mehmet embodies unexpected and stunning results, artfully resembling the original models.⁠

The “Lost” collection is a testament to Mehmet’s experimental approach. By dipping cardboard models into melted wax and casting them in aluminum, he produces one-of-a-kind creations that are durable, repairable, and recyclable. These pieces, with their expressive and sculptural qualities, reflect Mehmet’s commitment to sustainability and circular design. Mehmet’s work suggests simplified production and assembly processes while maintaining the honest authenticity of the early-stage models.

“ACID MANTRA distorts reality in such a way that allows us to escape negativity, stay sane, and yearn for nirvana.”

– Jean-Michel Gadoua

New Aesthetics Prize
Jean-Michel Gadoua
Éditions 8888

Jean-Michel Gadoua of Éditions 8888 receives the New Aesthetics Prize for his Acid Mantra collection. This collection dares to romanticize the stark and brutal aspects of life, celebrating raw materials and spontaneous craftsmanship. Gadoua’s work stands as a counterpoint to impersonal, monocultural production, offering a fresh perspective on contemporary design.

The Acid Mantra collection, launched at WANTED LookBook, features objects crafted from noble and raw materials, with textures both soft and sharp. Inspired by the psychedelic apocalypse of our decaying society, Gadoua’s creations, such as the Adult Contemporary tables and the Nuclear Assault Cabinet, are both poetic and irreverent. His approach blends science fiction, music, and counter-culture, creating a visual signature that is distinctively 8888.

Gadoua’s background in graphic design, music, and interior design informs his multidisciplinary approach. As the founder of Éditions 8888, he continues to push the boundaries of design, creating pieces that are both aesthetically challenging and deeply reflective of contemporary issues.