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SHAHAR LIVNE
CONCEPTUAL MATERIAL DESIGNER

IN COLLABORATION WITH BALENCIAGA
AFTERWORLD
FALL/WINTER 2021

The commission grew from Livne's Metamorphism project — a body of material research begun in 2017 exploring a future in which plastic waste fuses with natural matter to form an entirely new and precious resource. From this research, she developed Lithoplast, a conjectural clay-like substance that reframes plastic as geological material and medium, rather than refuse.

AFTERWORLD

For its Fall 2021 collection, Balenciaga launched Afterworld: The Age of Tomorrow — an immersive video game envisioning a future where clothing is meant to transform over decades, accruing meaning rather than being discarded. Shahar Livne was commissioned to design a jewellery line for this imagined world, where the natural patina of materials becomes a desired aesthetic.

In collaboration with Demna Gvasalia and the Balenciaga accessories team, Livne translated this research-led material philosophy into a limited edition collection of rings, bangles and earrings. Formed from upcycled and ocean-sourced plastic waste retrieved by Oceanworks®, combined with calcium carbonate — a byproduct of the marble industry — each piece was shaped through geo-mimicry and 3D scanning, then finished by hand using the methods of goldsmithing.

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