Designer Opens Sao Paolo Outpost out of Repurposed Materials

Brazilian Designer Carlos Miele is set to open his first store at the Iguatemi shopping mecca. His eco-friendly boutique will be made out of entirely repurposed materials. "There was no reason to gut the space and start from scratch when we were inheriting such wonderful elements that we could work with," said Miele in a statement. "I see that it is our moral obligation to try to minimize our ecological footprint by diverting materials from the waste stream. It's a different kind of challenge, to adapt to existing conditions rather than create from a blank slate, and I was happy to have this challenge. Designers are essentially gatekeepers between raw materials and final products, whether a dress or a chair or an architectural space."

The almost 3,000 sq ft space, originally designed by Brazilian architect Isay Weinfeld, will be preserved by Miele's team and accented by classic Brazilian furniture and a special lighting plan that creates indirect light from the floor and the interior walls.