Arjun Singh Assa
Born and raised in Mombasa, Kenya, Arjun Singh Assa grew up in the thick of his family’s woodworking company. ‘Our home was above the workshop, so mornings began with me opening the doors for the employees and leaving for school to the sound of the machines running,’ he says. ‘In high school, I was more interested in fine arts, but financial challenges meant I joined the family business, not realising it would become my passion. It was then I began to learn about timber, how it’s grown, processed and shaped.’ After four years, Arjun moved to the UK, enrolling on the Furniture and Product Design degree course at Nottingham Trent University. ‘At that point, I was more of a traditional maker than a designer,’ he says, ‘so it helped me to learn what design is, and to question the role of the designer in society.’ Inspired by companies that use waste products to create terrazzo, Arjun developed the Poorman’s Pony – a bench made using waste materials, including glass and plastic left behind by partying students, and Weave, a beech and nylon chair that challenges the way traditional seating is made and the carbon footprint of materials used to create comfort. It was this piece that won him the prestigious Product of the Year award as part of Design Fresh at 2019’s 100% Design exhibition. Inspiration, he says, comes from his own and other cultures. ‘I also take inspiration from the unconventional,’ he says. ‘Many objects end up as junk, so we need to be careful of what we produce, how it can affect consumer behaviour and our environment.’ Since finishing his studies, Arjun has been working with design and fabrication specialists 2MZ and Pluck Kitchens, while his spare time is taken up by The Washing Machine Project, a charitable group developing electricity-free washing machines for people without washing facilities around the world.