Reinventing the ugly essentials of parenting with designs that are beautiful, practical, and made in Sydney from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic.
Phase One:
The great “stuff” of parenthood
For tiny humans, they have a big impact. Because, when it comes to kids stuff, there’s a lot of crap, and a lot of that crap is actually stuff you need: change mats, play mats, potties, dummies, baby baths, nappy bins, bottles, bibs, and of course, toys. Most of it is made from virgin plastic, designed to be used for one kid, sometimes for no more than a few months. As parents, we want to preserve the planet our kids will inherit. That starts with sustainable solutions.
Phase Two:
Does it have to be… ugly?
We believe beauty and function are not mutually exclusive. In fact, the best things in life have both. Life with children is beautiful, so why should living with them litter your home with stuff you hate? In generations before, there were parts of a home for children, and others for adults, but life is more blended now, our homes more dynamic. Rather than hiding it away, we want to live with our children and their stuff. So we want to make their stuff dynamic too. Functional, beautiful and designed to serve purpose far beyond any particular stage.
Phase Three:
Plastic fantastic
Plastic is strong beyond its weight, can be tough, inflexible, corrosion resistant, thermal and electrical insulated. It’s cheap to make and very long lasting, taking 20 - 500 years to decompose, and even then, it never fully disappears. The problem with plastic is that there are already 8.3 billion tonnes of it in the world, half of which has been produced in the last 13 years. There is already more plastic in the world than we will ever need. So recycled plastic is our medium. Because the other thing plastic is great at, is getting a second life. Our products are made in collaboration with Defy Designs, a Sydney based all-in-one design, recycling and manufacturing company with a vision to stop the production of virgin plastic and divert more waste from entering our landfills and environment.
Phase Four:
So what’s the hook?
Starting at the very beginning, what could every new parent use? An extra hand. The Baby Hook is designed with this parent in mind, the one that needs somewhere safe, clean and secure to catch and keep things within reach. The curve has been perfected so that it holds fine, soft swaddles and blankets with the same ease as the chunky backpack handle it may hold in years to come. It is the first in the AESTU collection of parenting decor with purpose.
Phase Five:
It’s only the beginning
AESTU is a mum-run company founded by Anna Vidović and Alexandra Whiting. Story-tellers, editors, parents and long time friends, Anna has a textile brand PHILE, and Alexandra heads up content at The Memo. With our designing hats on, and parenting POV glasses permanently fixed, we want to continue creating practical, chic parenting designs that clean up the planet in the process. Recycled plastic will always be our medium, but what comes next is up to you. Share your AESTU with @aestu.design, and watch this space.
