Sayo Watanabe is a Japanese-American designer based in New York with a passion for textile exploration and sustainable designs.

Growing up in a frugal household sparked her initial interest to recover trash as materials, which is what people want to get rid of in life. This developed her curiosity for what humans actually need and whether trash can meet those needs.

Her journey with mental health seeped into her practice as a designer as she searched for happiness - only to find out that the people she cares about also struggle with similar emotional needs. Sayo now creates with waste to fulfil human needs with the byproduct of removing waste from landfills.

She hopes to spark inspiration in others to live resourcefully and plan to continue to do the unthinkable and flip ‘trash’ into valuable goods by openly circulating knowledge to stimulate craft and innovation.