Italy · Fine-Art-Adjacent Workshop Craft (paper engineering / wearable art)

Italian Pleated and Layered Recycled-Cardboard Jewelry Making

Gioielli in cartone riciclato plissettato e stratificato

A contemporary Italian studio practice exemplified by Rome-based artist Sandra Di Giacinto: recycled corrugated cardboard is cut, shaped, layered and pleated into lightweight wearable forms, then finished with metallic pigment. The technique treats corrugation as a structural and visual resource rather than concealing it.

Risk level: Stable · Not applicable — a contemporary design practice, not a traditional community-transmitted craft

Alternate Names
Recycled cardboard jewellery; paper jewellery; plissé paper jewellery
Geographic Center
Rome, Italy
Community / Ethnic Group
Not applicable — an emergent, non-traditional contemporary design practice, not tied to a specific ethnic or regional community
Estimated Origin
Documented by 2008; contemporary studio practice
Cultural Function
Functions within a broader contemporary Italian and international design culture valuing sustainability, material reinvention, and conceptual design value over traditional craft transmission; several practitioners explicitly frame their work through design philosophy (Di Giacinto references Enzo Mari's principle that project quality is measured by the cultural change it triggers) rather than cultural-heritage preservation; the practice sits within Italy's wider, Comieco-documented recycled-paper design movement, which the industry consortium has actively tracked and promoted since 2001 as evidence of consumer and design-sector engagement with sustainability
Primary Materials
Recycled corrugated cardboard
Primary Tools
Hand-shaping, cutting, layering, and coiling tools appropriate to fine cardboard engineering, not further specified by name in available sources
Process Overview
Select recycled corrugated cardboard, cut and shape components, layer and pleat them into a wearable form, then apply metallic pigment or paint as appropriate.
Traditional Applications
Not applicable — a contemporary design practice
Contemporary Applications
Wearable jewelry and accessories sold through boutiques, designer markets, and, for Di Giacinto specifically, prestigious museum design shops (Guggenheim Bilbao, SFMOMA, Venice Biennale, La Pedrera Barcelona, MACRO and MAXXI Rome)
Notable Practitioners
Sandra Di Giacinto, Rome — sculptor and designer working with layered and pleated recycled cardboard jewelry.
Key References
Sandra Di Giacinto; Comieco, 'L'Altra Faccia del Macero' (2008); sandradigiacinto.it
Verification Status
Desk-Researched

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