Creative Climate Wins Are Happening. Young Designers Are Leading Them.

In a time of climate anxiety and political fatigue, it’s easy to miss the green shoots of innovation. But across the globe, young creatives are building tangible, community-rooted climate solutions. Through the Swarovski Foundation’s Creatives for Our Future program, emerging leaders in design, architecture, and tech are using their talent and cultural heritage to reimagine sustainability from the ground up.

These stories — from transforming fish waste into luxury textiles, to building modular solar-powered housing for displaced families, to healing polluted lands with plants, to redesigning tech for longevity — show us that fashioning a better world is not just possible, it’s already happening.

Empowering Coastal Communities Through Circular Fashion

Moemen Sobh, an architect and designer from Egypt, founded Visenleer to transform ocean waste into sustainable textiles. After witnessing his family’s fishing legacy dissolve due to climate and economic pressures, Sobh started collecting discarded fish skins and nets to experiment with natural tanning techniques. Today, his zero-carbon leather is produced without chemicals or machines, dyed with natural pigments like hibiscus and curry, and sewn by hand.

More than just material innovation, Visenleer is a social enterprise that provides income and dignity to marginalized groups: fishermen, fisherwomen, and people with disabilities. “Every bag we create carries the story of the people who made it,” Sobh says. “Fashion can be our tool for advocacy and rebuilding community.”

Sobh’s work is not only reviving traditional knowledge but reshaping the supply chain to reward sustainable practices. With support from the Swarovski Foundation, he plans to expand to Southern Italy and invest further in ecosystem restoration through seaweed farming and school-based social entrepreneurship programs.

Regenerative Textiles from Polluted Land

Fashion designer and biodesigner Aurélie Fontan, based in the UK, is closing the loop on textile dyeing with her project, Regen Ink. Using phytoremediation, her team cultivates plants that draw heavy metals from polluted mining sites. These same metals, embedded in plant tissue, are then processed into natural textile pigments — creating both a dye source and a method for ecological healing.

“We’re not just using plants for color,” Fontan explains. “We’re restoring land that can’t grow food, bringing biodiversity back, and giving local communities a new purpose.”

Fontan’s vision is not about boutique aesthetics — it’s about scale. Regen Ink is partnering with councils and farmers to restore land and develop a commercially viable, industry-standard dye paste. “If we’re going to replace synthetic dyes,” she says, “we have to think about affordability, accessibility, and social impact.”

AllSpace: Modular Housing Rooted in Tradition

Blossom Eromosele, a Nigerian architect and designer, is responding to the country’s displacement crisis with AllSpace: a modular housing solution made from recycled materials and inspired by traditional African huts. Each unit includes solar lighting made from repurposed e-waste and plastic bottles, designed in collaboration with fellow creative Stanley Anigbogu.

Eromosele says, “The Creatives for Our Future programme is an incredible platform for young innovators like myself to drive meaningful change. I hope to expand AllSpace to more communities and ensure that displaced families have access to safe housing with vital resources while addressing environmental challenges.”

With more than 3.2 million internally displaced people in Nigeria (UNDP), Eromosele is prioritizing both sustainability and cultural relevance. Her designs reflect local architectural heritage, creating spaces of safety and belonging amid chaos.

Rethinking Technology for the Circular Economy

Product designer Barimah Asare, based in the U.S., is tackling the e-waste crisis with a sleek, compact external graphics card enclosure. Project Hivemind allows users to upgrade older laptops, extending their lifespan by years and offering performance boosts without requiring a full device replacement.

“E-waste is a growing challenge,” says Asare. “With the support from the Swarovski Foundation, I’m developing a product that empowers people to upgrade rather than replace. It’s about shifting our mindset from consumption to adaptability.”

Asare’s vision is to change how we perceive digital products — as long-term investments, not disposable tools. Project Hivemind is currently moving from prototype to market-ready product with support from the Creatives for Our Future cohort. Asare was recently recognized as one of the top 50 innovators from University of the Arts London.

These four innovators show what climate action looks like at the intersection of culture, community, and creativity. Their solutions are regenerative, accessible, and deeply rooted in place. At a time when progress can feel out of reach, their work reminds us that the future is not only unwritten — it’s being designed, piece by piece, by those brave enough to imagine differently.