Design studio turns Barbie dolls into tech

A University of Brighton graduate is giving unwanted Barbie and Ken dolls a second life, using their materials to make colourful tech products.

Tom Meades launched the Childhood Memories Collection through his sustainable design studio, gomi.

The studio teamed up with Mattel's Barbie brand to transform materials from dolls and accessories into Bluetooth speakers, power banks, and tracker tags.

The studio says it is aiming to highlight plastic waste and product longevity.

Co-founder and chief designer of gomi, Meades opened the studio after graduating from a degree in 3D design and craft at the University of Brighton in 2017.

The designs incorporate the recovered materials alongside other hard-to-recycle plastic waste, with each piece featuring a marbled design.

Meades said: "Barbie has been such a big part of so many people's childhoods, so there's something really exciting about taking these familiar objects and giving them a completely different life.

"Instead of seeing waste as something that has reached the end of its story, we're asking what it could become next.

"We wanted to make that idea tangible – and create something people would genuinely want to keep."

The speakers and power banks are powered by repurposed e-bike batteries, with components secured using screws rather than glue, allowing parts to be replaced or repaired rather than requiring the whole product to be discarded, the studio says.

Meades' designs prioritise longevity, with the studio offering trade-in, repair and product upgrading services for the collection.

Meades said: "Brighton has such a strong creative community, and the university played a huge role in helping me develop my approach to design.

"I've always been interested in taking something that would otherwise be considered waste and asking what it could become.

"This collaboration takes that idea somewhere completely new – taking a material associated with childhood and turning it into something designed for everyday life."

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