Have you heard of them? This New Zealand based homewares brand is changing the game through their closed loop making process.

We borrowed a few pieces to shoot out at Kaiate Falls, Te Puke.

On the surface, Special Studios is a conscious warrior.

But if you asked me on a deeper level—this is one of the first real steps toward the sustainability ideals I obsessed over at uni. Finally, I’m seeing my own community doing the things we used to just talk about—ideas we studied, admired, but never fully accessed. When I was 22, there was Kowtow, dumpster diving—I even went vegan for a bit. But discovering Special Studios ten years later? My 22-year-old self would’ve been stoked. And, honestly, a little jealous I didn’t think of it first.

Why?

They’ve built a closed-loop production system where every piece—3D-printed from 100% recycled plastic—can be shredded down and reprinted as something new. Their designs are made to last, but if they don’t? Drop it back. Sick of your chair? Swap it for a stool. No joke—return it, and you get credit toward your next piece.

Designed, made, and distributed in-house in Tauranga, New Zealand, every Special Studios creation is a masterclass in circular design. (Sound familiar?) And, somehow, the team behind it are just ridiculously nice people. They let me roll in, borrow five pieces for a shoot, and submerge them in running water alongside SAUCEswim. I turned up in my tiny Suzuki Swift, Tetris-stuffed them inside, then had to chase down my dog, who had snuck into a neighboring office. Pretty. Nice. Guys.

Back to the photos…

My niece was barely two months old when I convinced my sister to be part of this shoot. I photographed Queree, post-partum, at Kaiate Falls with a baby strapped to my front—clambering over rocks, camera in one hand, steadying baby’s head with the other. The amount of trust my sister placed in me—to capture her, to keep her baby safe—wasn’t lost on me.

It’s much like the trust we place in our consumers, our neighbours, and our friends to make the right choices. The clothes we wear, the way we decorate our homes, the things we bring into our lives.

SAUCEswim is a ballad—no, a symphony—of individual decisions, the support of my community, the inspiration drawn from those around me. Just one song in a larger concert playing on the world stage.

Credits:
Model⟶Queree Hislop
Photographer⟶Elise Hislop
Wardrobe⟶SAUCEswim
Props⟶Special Studio