Parametric Reptilia

Xuanhao Li
An award-winning computational textile designer, crafting meaningful elegance.

About Me

Selected Works

PROJECT
ROLE
YEAR
ADVISOR
CREDITS

AWARDS

EXHIBITION

Parametric Reptilia
Designer, Artisan
2024
Yaling Liu, Lisa Marks
GVU Prototyping Lab, GVU Craft Lab
Red Dot Design Award | Red Dot
DNA Paris Design Awards | Winner↗
IDA International Design Awards | Silver↗
NY Product Design Awards | Silver
Muse Design Awards | Silver

Red Dot Design Museum, Singapore

Sustainable Solution to Ethical Concerns：

The exquisite scale texture and exotic visual style make reptile leather highly sought after in the luxury fashion market. However, the sourcing of reptile leather often involves unethical practices, including cruel treatment of farmed reptiles and illegal hunting of endangered species.

Parametric Reptilia utilizes recycled Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU), sourced from industrial waste, to create scale-textured textiles as a sustainable alternative to reptile leather. This innovative approach leverages the materiality of recycled TPU, resulting in aesthetically compelling, functional, and durable textiles that offer an ethical alternative to reptile leather.

Revolutionizing Textile Production:

With parametric modeling, Parametric Reptilia intricately replicates the rhythmic distribution of reptile scales. The bio-inspired computational design and digital fabrication process blend natural inspiration with a rational aesthetic. The modeling process develops an interlocking structure derived from the shape of knitting stitches, featuring scale-like extension generated at each peak of the stitches. By manipulating parameters, an extensive array of scale patterns can be generated, offering infinite design possibilities.

The substrate and a series of strip units connecting the scales are individually cut out of the recycled TPU sheet using the CNC machine, and then meticulously assembled with craftsmanship. Under different lighting conditions, the texture of the scales casts enchanting shadows and highlights, evoking the allure of natural reptile skins.

Societal, Cultural, and Environmental Responsibilities

Through the repurposing of TPU waste and advocacy for the welfare of reptiles, Parametric Reptilia actively contributes to environmental sustainability and the conservation of species diversity.

While the use of exquisite and rare reptile leather has long defined luxury, Parametric Reptilia disrupts this paradigm by embracing recycled materials, innovative design methods, and advanced fabrication technologies. By integrating these elements with meticulous craftsmanship, Parametric Reptilia seeks to redefine luxury for the modern era—one that prioritizes sustainability and ethics.

Introducing innovative processing and design technologies for recycled materials can also empower workers and cultivate a culture of sustainability and ethical consumption within the fashion industry.

Parametric Reptilia offers a sustainable alternative to reptile leather while redefining the concept of rarity and luxury. It embraces the value of environmentally conscious and socially responsible design through computational design, advanced fabrication, and ethical practices.