There’s a particular kind of material that Puebco is drawn to. Something industrial, or forgotten, that was built to last but ended up discarded. Since 2007 they’ve been working out of Tokyo, taking those materials and asking what they should become next. It’s a way of working that gives everything they make a certain feeling, like the object already had a history before it came to you.
We spoke to the team about the instinct behind their process, what they look for in a material, and how that thinking eventually extended to designing for dogs.
Tell us a bit about Puebco: what was the reason for starting it, and how do sustainability and design sit alongside each other in the way you work?
Puebco was born in Tokyo in 2007 out of a very simple, almost selfish impulse: the desire to create what we want to create, without being constrained by market trends. We don’t start with a “business plan” but with an attraction to materials. For us, design and sustainability aren’t two separate things to balance; they are the same process.
We find beauty in what has been discarded, and our design is simply the tool to reveal that beauty.
Has Japanese design culture shaped how Puebco thinks about objects, the way things are made, used, kept?
Japanese culture has a deep respect for the “soul” of objects and the beauty of imperfection (Wabi-sabi). This definitely shapes our thinking. We don’t want to create “perfect” mass-produced items; we want to create objects that feel like they have a history, even when they are new. The way an object is kept and used over time is just as important as how it is made.
A lot of brands talk about sustainability as a mission, Puebco talks about instinct. Do you think there’s a difference between these two approaches?
Absolutely. For many, sustainability is a goal or a marketing mission. For Puebco, it’s an instinct. We don’t use recycled materials because it’s “the right thing to do” for the brand image, but because we are instinctively drawn to the texture, the smell, and the history of those materials. A mission can feel like a burden; an instinct is a passion.
When sourcing your refound materials, what qualities does a material have to have for Puebco to want to work with it?
It has to have “character.” We look for materials that have a certain industrial or military toughness—something that was meant to last but was forgotten.
Whether it’s old tent fabric, recycled steel, or plastic, it needs to have a tactile quality that inspires us to give it a second life.
Does the material lead the design, or the other way around?
In our case, the material almost always leads the design. We don’t draw a bag and then look for the fabric; we find a pile of old parachutes or industrial belts and ask ourselves: “What does this want to become?” The constraints of the material are what make the final design unique.
Puebco’s products end up in homes all over the world, far from where they were made. Does an object mean something different to someone in London or New York than it did when it left Tokyo?
Perhaps. In Tokyo, there is a very specific appreciation for the “new vintage.” In London or New York, we find that people appreciate the utilitarian and “raw” aspect of our products. But ultimately, we believe that the appreciation for a well-made, honest object is a universal language that transcends borders.
Does anyone at Puebco have a dog, and did that play a part in the decision to start designing for them?
Yes, several members of our team are dog owners! This was a very natural evolution. We realized that the durable, recycled materials we use for our home goods—like heavy canvas and sturdy steel—are actually perfect for the “rough” life of a dog’s accessories.
Does the design process differ when designing objects for dogs? What does a well-designed object for dogs look like to Puebco?
It should be functional, durable, and not “too precious.” Dogs don’t care about luxury; they care about comfort and strength.
To us, a well-designed dog object is one that looks better the more it gets used, scratched, and lived-in. It should fit seamlessly into a home, not look like a plastic toy.
