Dezeen Magazine

Eight graduates to watch from the Design Academy Eindhoven class of 2016

Design Academy Eindhoven is regarded as one of the most influential schools in the world, so much so that it placed third in our schools Hot List. We've rounded up eight of the most promising designers from this year's graduation show, which took place during Dutch Design Week.


Eight Design Academy Eindhoven graduates to watch

Yi-Fei Chen

After an altercation with a tutor, Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Yi-Fei Chen created a visual metaphor to show her personal struggle with speaking her mind.

This manifested as a brass gun that fires tears she had collected. At her graduation, Chen had the opportunity to point and fire the tear gun at head of department Jan Boelen. She took it.

Find out more about Yi-Fei Chen's Tear Gun ›


Eight Design Academy Eindhoven graduates to watch

Tamara Orjola

Tamara Orjola's Forest Wool stools and carpets are made from processed pine needles left over from the timber industry.

Orjola, who first showed her project in an exhibition at this year's Milan Design Week, extracts the pine needles' fibre to transform them into textiles, composites and paper.

Find out more about Tamara Orjola's Forest Wool project ›


Eight Design Academy Eindhoven graduates to watch

Hayo Gebauer

The need and sometimes obsession for keeping things neat informed Hayo Gebauer's Props for Order project, a series of objects with ribbed surfaces.

Instead of hiding our storage systems away, these objects are designed to be used in plain sight. The set can be combined and stacked according to individual tastes.


Eight Design Academy Eindhoven graduates to watch

Nicolette Bodewes

Following her own experiences with therapy, Nicolette Bodewes created a tactile toolkit designed to be used in psychotherapy sessions.

Tools for Therapy is intended as a "communication toolkit" that helps people better express their thoughts. It is made up of a basic set of building blocks as well as 12 more complex objects based on the Jungian Archetypes.

Find out more about Nicolette Bodewes' Tools for Therapy ›


Eight Design Academy Eindhoven graduates to watch

Fabian Briels

For his graduation project, Fabian Briels questioned conventional clothing manufacturing methods by developing a technique where lasers are used as needles and silicone is used as thread.

To create the garments, a digital pattern is laser-engraved onto an acrylic sheet. Silicone is then injected into the grooves where it sets. The flat mesh can be lifted from the sheet and draped into a 3D top, with seams sealed instead of stitched.


Eight Design Academy Eindhoven graduates to watch

WooJai Lee

WooJai Lee developed a method of turning recycled paper into bricks that can be used to build furniture.

The PaperBricks are made from newspaper pulp that has been mixed with glue and pressed into a mould, which gives them a textured and marbled exterior.

Find out more about WooJai Lee's PaperBricks ›


Eight Design Academy Eindhoven graduates to watch

Christian Heikoop

Christian Heikoop based his flat-pack furniture collection on retro camping equipment, and made it so that it is assembled in the same way as a tent.

Metal tubes slide into stitched leather sleeves to assemble the furniture in the Glissade collection. It is designed to be easily and quickly put together without tools or screws.

Find out more about Christian Heikoop's Glissade collection ›


Eight Design Academy Eindhoven graduates to watch

Chiao Chun Chan 

Chiao Chun Chan 's Dependent Objects are a series of furniture pieces that rely on human support to function.

Without human support, the three pieces literally fall over, or lie slumped in a corner.