Platform for Upcycling

What it’s all about

The idea of secondDesign is to simplify the topic of upcycling and bring it directly to the people. We want to make it an easy and fun activity for those interested in getting active and starting to create their own products out of would-be rubbish. Our aim is to increase the awareness of our resources including our waste and thus enhance mindful use. We want the community to reflect a higher ecological understanding in their day-to-day dealings.

Why it’s so much fun

Explore your creative powers. Each of us can be a designer. Something we have outsourced so far is actually simpler than you think. Collect «garbage» and use it to make something new and useful. This process is called «Upcycling». It’s sustainable and saves resources, reduces shipping, makes the local economy more resilient and –most importantly – challenges your creativity!

Our key message is Waste less, live more!

Wir finden den Verein zweitesDesign wichtig,

• um dieser Bewegung Raum zu geben.
• um Hand zu bieten, beim Entwickeln eigener Upcylingideen.
• um zu erreichen, dass lokal produzierte Upcyclingprodukte mindestens die selben Marktchancen wie konventionelle Produkte erhalten.
• um gemeinsam mit anderen neue Ideen auf dem Weg zu einer nachhaltigen Konsumkultur zu finden.

Why create an Organization?

We founded this non-profit organization in order to

• Create a space for the upcycling movement
• Support the development of great upcycling ideas
• Aim for fair market share for upcycling products
• Joint-venture for a sustainable consumer life-style

Here’s what we can already offer

We hold workshops and courses on upcycling.

We share our knowledge and experience on product development.

We run a platform for networking, distribution, and promotion.

Thanks to your support we can ...

1. …offer shared workspace
2. …provide different work materials and more machines
3. …engage in educational school projects
4. …run a more advanced online sharing platform for ideas and materials

Who are The People Behind the Scenes?

We, that is Simone Cueni and Rahel Schütze, noticed the need for a non-profit organization dedicated to the topic of upcycling from a very personal point of view. We first started the fashion label for kids and women «Aufgehübscht in Baselwest», where we make beautiful clothes for children from old linen, table wear and curtains. We desperately felt the urge to connect and exchange with others in the field, we wanted to further develop our ideas, and find synergies, but something like a platform simply didn’t exist. So we founded this platform by ourselves. This was the beginning of «zweitesDesign»!

Besides us, there are others helping us out on a voluntarily basis – this is our highly valued book keeper, our fabulous trainee, and many of the designers of the beautiful items offered in our shop.

Here’s What We’ve Done so Far

We opened a shop and an adjacent work room at Allschwilerstrasse 36 in Basel.

There we currently collaborate with about 25 individual suppliers to display a wide range of materials, styles, methods and uses of upcycling products.

In February 2015 we attended the retail trade fair MUBA in Basel, in March we had a booth at the eco. festival. And we are alread «Good Examples» in connection with the upcoming «Umwelttage».

Nominated as «Good Examples» by Umwelttage Basel 2015 – We are Very Proud!

See here.

Our Mission

Something that started very small is supposed to get really big!

In our vision, this is the start of an urban center that not only talks but lives sustainability in every aspect of modern life. Therefore, we are on a search for innovative people who are willing to join zweitesDesign. For example, we would like to expand and have a café shop,rental clothes, sustainable construction of buildings and furniture, etc..

We strongly believe that the material and energy consumption in our world calls for an upcycle! Hands-on. We are more than ready to work for a new economy of winners only. An economy that we can hand over with a good conscience to the next generation. Are you in?

Get Involved!

With your help and support, we will start to make this happen. This means that with your donation you’ll belong to the movement, transitioning the culture of consumption into a sustainable culture of upcycling. With your support you too will take up your responsibility for mindful use of resources. You will experience the difference between the shortterm excitement of a quick online purchase and the long-lasting satisfaction that comes from getting personally involved.

You don’t have any money, but you do have talent, time, or energy? Get in touch with us! We’ve got PLENTY of work to do!

We want to reward you for your generosity as shown under «Rewards» (see some of them below)