Young creatives rethink how we use soap
Two recent graduates of ECAL respond to our ever more hygiene-conscience world with new takes on standard soap

Recent ECAL graduate Manon Novelli created Ephemeral Soap in an attempt to reduce the amount of waste created by the mini bottles of shower gel and shampoo found in hotels.
The project features a selection of soaps for various parts of the body that come in a plastic-free bamboo case and only last the length of one hand wash or shower.
Manon Novelli
‘Hotels generate a lot of waste, especially by offering small bottles of shower gel and solid soaps that are never really finished,’ says Novelli.
‘The challenge was to find an alternative to this and propose a sustainable set with soaps and shampoos that are for one use only, yet still surprising and pleasant to use.’
Sarah Remy
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Fellow ECAL graduate Sarah Remy has reimagined the ritual of cleaning and self-care with Sōl. The stackable tower of containers is inspired by the Japanese skincare ritual of ‘layering’. Every morning and night, users can lay out the various containers and successively work through their contents: oil, soap, konjac sponge, aloe vera and water.
The result is a more considered approach to an everyday routine, while its elegant design, with a hand-blown glass base and bronze dome cast in a traditional bell foundry, makes it a welcome addition to any bathroom countertop.
INFORMATION
Mary Cleary is a writer based in London and New York. Previously beauty & grooming editor at Wallpaper*, she is now a contributing editor, alongside writing for various publications on all aspects of culture.
-
Viviane Sassen considers fine art, fashion photography and fragility in Italy
Viviane Sassen’s exhibition, 'This Body Made of Stardus' at Collezione Maramotti, spans two decades off Sassen's career
By Hili Perlson
-
Ghanaian cuisine has a story to tell at Washington, DC restaurant Elmina
The new restaurant is chef Eric Adjepong’s colourful ode to the recipes he grew up loving
By Sofia de la Cruz
-
Pedro y Juana's take on architecture: 'We want to level the playing field’
Mexico City-based architects Padro y Juana bring their transdisciplinary, participatory approach to the Mexico pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025; find out more
By Ellie Stathaki