The Best Green Designs From Buenos Aires’ Puro Diseno Fair

This month Inhabitat hit the scene of the <a href="http://www.feriapurodiseno.com.ar/11/index.html">Puro Diseno Fair</a> in Buenos Aires to bring you the best green designs from Argentina's creative capital. We found many examples under the same roof at the annual fair, which is held at the massive <a title="The Best Green Designs From Buenos Aires´ Puro Diseno Fair" href="http://www.larural.com.ar/" target="_blank">La Rural</a> exhibition space. The fair covered 40,000 square feet and contains 350 exhibitors showcasing their latest creations under the theme: color. Jump ahead for an exclusive look at some fantastic eco-design ideas from South America’s creatives, as Inhabitat writer <a title="The Best Green Designs From Buenos Aires´ Puro Diseno Fair" href="http://inhabitat.com/author/analisaalperovich" target="_blank">Ana Lisa Alperovich</a> shares her experience!

You probably remember Kuku's plant pots made from old light bulbs from our Spring Greening Contest, they now have a smaller version that glows in the dark!

Standing next to a little machine the designer made herself for chopping the top off eggs was Kuku’s 6-pack eggshell plants. They are perfect for a sunny desk or a windowsill but unfortunately they were not up for sale, but just for the stand´s decoration.

Also designed by Kuku, are some tinted colored glasses made from wine and whisky bottles and a set of water-based, hand-printed handkerchiefs with writer Cortazar’s Instructions for crying.

At the MASEKOS stand we found the recycled wallet made from plastic bags at a cartonero’s recycling warehouse we recently told you about. All profits made at the Fair will get back to the makers encouraging sustainability for a long time.

We also liked Maseko’s Pupupack, a biodegradable kit, made from folded recycled cardboard -completed with instructions- and a wooden stick to collect your dog’s poo from public spaces avoiding the use of plastic bags.

Even thought there are many accessories stands to be seen, selling handbags and laptop cases from scrap fabric, our favorite is Carro. Their latest products are the coffee sacks jute bags hanging together with others made from recycled cotton cleaning cloth and north Argentine fluorescent woven pieces.

Recycled rubber scrap from car’s wheels heated and molded into shape makes amazing stools and plant pots by UAU Disegno.

Greca´s colorful one-of-a-kind bracelets where made from recycled scrap buttons and resin they get from a friend’s factory.

Ni chicha ni limonada´s wearable art made from recycled plastic cables from different sources like telephone ones, lighting and any other they find lying around.

Pomada, a studio we have also featured a few weeks ago, made this recyclable empty tape bracelets proving that nothing gets wasted while being really affordable and these coffee bean fabric upholstered stools.

Mesh bags for washing delicate cloth where being re-packaged and re-sold as vegetables bags for keeping fruits and vegetables dry inside the fridge, re-designed by Carmen de Pic-Nic.

This wooden bench from Arqom was definitely one of the high-end pieces from the Fair. Made from sustainable and locally sourced reclaimed wood, this long bench is designed for disassembly and all parts are stuck together without glue or nails.

With a great variety of objects, ranging from (Marimekko inspired) handbags, glasses cases, lamps and cushions made from felt, is project Matra.

A felt container by Matra.

Billet Bill, a brand by friendly Buenos Aires-based French designer Adelaide Aronio makes cute hand-drawn illustrated books, bags, T-shirts and other objects hand-printed with water-based eco-friendly inks onto unbleached canvas.

Cruz DellaCasa´s glamorous sparkling jewelry made from repurposed vintage buttons and fabrics are just one of the few pieces from their accessories inspired from the past and made for today’s women, which look after the future.

Llamas del llano is producing some jewelry out of left over material from their llama sweaters combining felt balls, llama hairballs and cute acorn seeds tops, making them (almost) entirely biodegradable.

The Argentine version to American TOMS shoes, Paez Shoes, sells very basic footwear made from canvas and a jute sole. They are very comfortable, biodegradable and comes in a wide variety of designs.

From the northern province of Tucumán, comes a design studio called Des-Hechos, who made a recycled wooden installation at their stand with old wood from vegetable crates and pallets.

Remember the old Levi´s T-shirts that you could cut and customize yourself? Inhaus has the same concept but it’s made from locally grown organic cotton!

Cosecha Vintage makes handmade clothes from scrap nylon tights. The brand's designer, Alejandra Gougy, told Inhabitat about her latest idea of a social, inclusive project that will encourage customers to donate their broken tights, so dissabled people will learn the knitting skill by making a big textile together.

Puro Diseno Fair could honestly do with a bit of curation, more good quality design and a better communication regarding what’s really important: sustainable design. It is a shame that as the years goes by the Fair seems to get closer to an indoors artisans market and further away from good design, because there is so much amazing Argentine sustainable design out there.