I am a multidisciplinary designer, artist, and researcher passionate about biomaterials and regenerative design. My journey began with the intricate craftsmanship of luxury leather gloves under my brand, Riina O. Over time, it expanded, interweaving sustainability and innovation into my creative process through planet-friendly materials.
My work transforms food waste into new possibilities, turning byproducts from the kombucha industry into leather-like SCOBY-compo material and using 3D-printed eggshell biocomposites to pioneer regenerative solutions that blur the line between nature and craft. In these creations, materials whisper their own stories, carrying traces of their past while moulding the future.
My practice is shaped by movement, embracing slow, immersive travel as a way of being – a state of in-between, where time stretches and the journey itself becomes the destination. In these transient spaces, I create ephemeral, site-specific artefacts through community engagement, drawing from the land, the found, and the forgotten in dialogue with their surroundings.
Through teaching, research, and exploration, I adapt craftsmanship to unconventional settings, stitching it into a patchwork of place and community. Each journey reveals new ways to entwine materiality with the environment, allowing creation to be shaped by the landscapes and connections.
