Marta Pascual

Since 2016, she has collaborated with textile workshops focused on social reintegration because she strongly believes in the power of design as a socially transformational factor, not just as a formula for social advancement for the workers in these projects, but also as an element of added value to the pieces themselves, due to the meticulous, exquisite handiwork behind each of them. Constant research on sustainable materials was also a key factor in every phase of her studies, from making her latest collections using a biodegradable material, a botanically based PLA through a 3D printing process. U-ak’s goal is not just to add VALUE to pieces using its manual and almost artisanal manufacturing process, but also to offer contemporary and avant-garde design based on the study of and research into shapes, colors, and materials, specifically circular and geometric forms that are recognizable in each of these pieces. At the same time, she creates design workshops as part of social projects to teach the tools of design to groups who may be able to make use of them, such as groups of at-risk young people who may be marginalized. She is an instructor and speaker at conferences on sustainable and socially oriented design. Throughout this studio’s history, its pieces have been selected for several national exhibits and international fairs. In 2022, he participated in Milan Design Week and just finished the Netherlands Design Week, where he presented his Don’t Waste clock collection, a metaphor for the passing of time, to act against climate change.