grape lab

grape lab is a sustainable design lab in Seoul, working from a studio and showroom in Mapo-gu where recycled and wood-free papers are folded into stationery, cards, tags and bands without waste. The studio describes itself as a social venture: people with intellectual disabilities are part of the team, and the profit sharing and employment it provides are treated as part of the design brief, alongside the environmental one.

The space in Seoul holds a library of eco-friendly materials and a gallery of sustainable products open to the public, and the lab runs design consulting for brands, workshops on sustainability, and product development based on origami-like folding structures that avoid glue and mixed materials. The collection is sold through the brand’s own shop and through European and US stockists such as Manufactum.