From edible coffee cups to seed-spreading shoes, NGV Australia brings Making Good: Redesigning the Everyday to Melbourne.
Ever wished for clothes that grow as your children do, or perhaps you hate the way paint clogs the air with that chemical smell it has? This NGV Melbourne exhibition has the answer to all your hopes and dreams.
The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia transforms everyday design through its latest exhibition Making Good: Redesigning the Everyday. More than 50 Australian and international designers showcase products that improve society and environmental health.
Opening at NGV on 29 August, Making Good explores how studios and entrepreneurs transform daily products like clothing, toiletries and groceries.
Melbourne NVG Making Good exhibition
- Where: The Ian Potter Centre, NGV Australia
- When: 29 August 2025 – 1 February 2026
- Entry: Free
- Focus: Sustainable design solutions for everyday products
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The designs
Food industry transformations tackle single-use plastic through biodegradable alternatives. Loliware creates biodegradable straws from seaweed while Good-Edi produces edible coffee cups from locally sourced Melbourne grains. Great Wrap develops compostable cling wrap created entirely from food waste materials.
Construction waste becomes valuable building materials through innovative designer solutions. Glass artist Matthew Curtis creates architectural blocks from recycled television screens and construction waste float-glass. Sydney-based Besley & Spresser combines Sydney Rock Oyster shell waste with white cement and recycled marble for terrazzo like building materials.
Singaporean paint brand Gush develops science based formulas that remove air pollutants while actively cleaning surrounding air. Exhibition visitors experience this air-purifying paint applied to accent walls. Other Matter creates plastic-free signage film replacing conventional vinyl used for retail displays and events.
Healthcare innovation takes centre stage with products designed specifically for women’s needs. Hoopsy produces 99 per cent plastic-free pregnancy tests while Modi Bodi creates First Period Kits for young people. Melbourne brand Bed Intentions develops certified microbiome-safe water-based lubricant enriched with prebiotics supporting female reproductive health.
Fashion sustainability
Fashion sustainability emerges through revolutionary material innovations addressing fast-fashion concerns. Petit Pli engineers children’s clothing using textiles that grow with the child, reducing consumption. TômTex creates leather alternatives from seafood waste and mushrooms, displayed as handbags and dresses by New York designer Allina Liu.
Kiki Grammatopoulos designs eco-conscious running shoes that spread seeds with each step, supporting urban rewilding efforts. These innovations demonstrate fashion’s potential for environmental restoration beyond waste reduction.
Technology minimalism challenges smartphone proliferation through the Light Phone III design. This product offers essential tools without modern mobile distractions, addressing technology’s overwhelming presence in daily life.
Making Good demonstrates design’s power to solve pressing environmental and social challenges. The exhibition reveals how thoughtful innovation transforms ordinary products into extraordinary solutions for better living.
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