High Society converts waste into pure bright light

The purpose of High Society is to point out the importance of evaluating waste as a primary resource, finding solutions to repurpose useless materials, exploring new production processes, and recovering a genuine connection between nature and human beings.

Johannes and Giulia are the founders and the creative team behind High Society.

The design studio is based in South – Tyrol, Italy, and focuses its efforts on the creation of plant-based objects by up-cycling post-industrial waste.

Among their creations, we find the Highlight pendant lighting collection: a set of plant-based suspended lamps. Produced using by-products found in the agricultural industry.

Furthermore, High Society moves one step up the ladder of redemption, transforming human vices into pure bright light. The 3 pieces in the Highlight collection are made of hemp plants, tobacco, and wine production leftovers.

All the leftovers used as raw materials are collected from local productions and chopped to obtain powder. Then compression-molded by adding a bio-based binder using a low-temperature machine, which involves renewable resources and doesn’t affect the environment.

Finally, the pendants are finished applying a natural wax coating to protect their surface from moisture.

The compression of the raw materials creates sleek and natural-looking creations, whose surface pattern is impossible to predict and determine. Resulting in unique lampshades, designed to suit modern commercial or residential spaces.

Moreover, very responsibly, High Society supports initiatives against drug dependency through the Highlight collection, in collaboration with Forum Prävention.

The Highlight hemp lamps are from the industrial hemp harvest leftovers, cultivated without pesticides at 1300 meters above sea level.

Hemp-based products have become increasingly popular over the past few years and the Italian countryside are multiplying the innovative experiences linked to hemp production.

With a greater than 10-fold increase in acreage under cultivation, in as little as 5 years, industrial hemp is a field that could generate a business of almost € 1,5 billion across various industries such as cosmetics, furniture, food, pharmaceutical, packaging, and many others.

Moreover, the wide variety of potential uses of hemp has pushed many designers to develop innovative product solutions that combine experimental uses of hemp and the new digital manufacturing processes.

For Highlight Tobacco pendants High Society collects waste from an Italian supplier, who cultivates Tobacco without additives.

The Highlight Wine pendants are from pomace leftovers. The pulpy residue remains after wine production, which is from a local biologic winery in South Tyrol.