Futures Lab at Material Matters Fair, London Design Festival 2025 The Foundation USM Futures Lab, an initiative by London-based design studio ForEveryday.Life, will present at the Material Matters Fair during this year's London Design Festival. The exhibition showcases the Lab's ongoing exploration into materials, futures thinking, and interdisciplinary collaboration, with a special focus on the work of Studio Thus That and the Material Library of India.  

Showcasing at Material Matters  

For its first presentation at Material Matters, the Futures Lab highlights two collaborators whose material explorations respond directly to global challenges:  

Studio Thus That: Fire, Walk With Me  

Based in Amsterdam, Studio Thus That investigates the overlooked potential of industrial by-products such as ash and slags. Their project reframes fire not as a destructive force but as a regenerative agent within bio-regional systems. By transforming biomass ash into new materials such as geopolymers and glazes, they demonstrate how waste streams can become sustainable construction resources. Their work is both an educational platform (The New Guide to Fire) and a material innovation case study, bridging science, craft, and storytelling. 

 Material Library of India: Cotton 2.0  

Led by sustainability practitioner Shubhi Sachan, the Material Library of India (MLI) reimagines cotton for a world defined by climate extremes. By combining indigenous cotton varieties with bio-based coatings (from neem, turmeric, aloe, and beeswax), MLI creates garments that adapt to shifting climates while retaining deep cultural resonance. Cotton 2.0 merges functionality with identity, proposing a new textile paradigm rooted in circularity, heritage, and resilience. Together, these projects illustrate the Futures Lab's mission: to convene bold ideas, test new possibilities, and provoke dialogue on how we design materials, systems, and futures that serve both people and planet.  

Futures in Focus  

As the Futures Lab expands its global reach, projects like those from Studio Thus That and the Material Library of India highlight how local resources, cultural knowledge, and innovative practices can redefine material futures. They are not just speculative provocations but blueprints for systemic change, addressing urgent issues of climate adaptation, waste, and identity. 

Material Futures: Looking Back to Look Forward 
16.00-16.45 

In addition to the stand, the Futures Lab delegated will be presenting the following panel session; 

The Foundation USM Futures Lab is an initiative by London-based design studio ForEveryday.Life, which was created to explore, envision, and advocate for possible futures that prioritise sustainability and innovation. In this talk it will be introducing two of the exhibitors it 

is showcasing at Material Matters. Studio ThusThat investigates the overlooked potential of industrial by-products such as ash and slags, while Material Library of India reimagines cotton for a world defined by climate extremes.  
 
Speakers: Colin Macgadie, founder, For Everyday Life and chair, Futures Lab; Shubhi Sachan, founder, Material Library of India; Kevin Rouff, co-founder, Studio ThusThat 
Chair: Grant Gibson, co-founder Material Matters 

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For further information and visuals please contact Anna King +44 (0) 7780 956 291 , anna@informare.co.uk 

Notes to Editor: 

About Foreveryday.life 

ForEveryday.Life is an international design studio and consulting agency founded in 2023. We partner with clients and collaborators to shape a better future, believing that creativity can positively impact and transform the world around us. Our team of visionary architects, designers and strategists is committed to pushing the boundaries of conventional thinking, creating spaces, products and solutions that resonate with the essence of modern work/life. For more information visit www.foreveryday.life 

About the Futures Lab  

The Futures Lab was conceived in 2023 by ForEveryday.Life with the support of the Swiss non-profit Fondation USM, inspired by the pioneering modular visions of architect Fritz Haller and Paul Schärer Jr and the origins of USM Haller. The mission of the Lab is to explore, envision, and advocate for possible futures that prioritise sustainability and innovation.  

Unlike a traditional think tank, the Futures Lab operates as a dynamic ecosystem where design, research, and experimentation intersect, producing not just speculative ideas but tangible prototypes and frameworks. Its projects are grounded in futures literacy, systems thinking, and collaboration across disciplines. The Futures Lab platform unites academics, technologists, designers, policymakers, and makers to address today's “polycrises” and shape brighter, more resilient futures. 

Website 
www.foreveryday.life 

London Design Festival — Material Matters London at Space House 

Instagram 
@for.everyday.life