Rethinking materials means looking beyond their traditional uses. Sometimes, innovation does not come from creating something entirely new, but from seeing existing resources through a different lens.
This article is based on an interview with Fabio Molinas, founder of LEBIU Design, a project focused on developing innovative solutions from cork and the residues generated by its own industry. Its story begins in northern Sardinia, a region deeply connected to cork production, where Fabio grew up surrounded by this material in his grandfather’s workshop.
There, he began to notice the large amounts of cork dust generated during the production of bottle stoppers. What many saw as waste became, for him, a possibility. Years later, while studying design in Madrid, that intuition evolved into a research project focused on transforming natural residues into materials with technical, aesthetic and contemporary value.
In 2020, the first experimentation phase began with Leather for Vegetarians, a process that gradually evolved into LEBIU and into materials such as CORSKIN®.
CORSKIN®: a new use for cork
CORSKIN® is based on a reinterpretation of cork. It does not seek to erase its origin, but to give it a new dimension through design and technology.
Cork has particularly interesting natural properties: it is lightweight, resistant to moisture and high temperatures, antibacterial, antifungal and flame-retardant. Its alveolar structure also makes it possible to create a soft and flexible material while using fewer chemical additives in relation to its weight and volume than other alternative materials.
Its origin is also key. CORSKIN® uses residues generated during the production of cork stoppers, within a short supply chain. As cork comes from the bark of self-regenerating trees, its growth and extraction do not require water, reinforcing its connection with a more conscious way of producing.
Innovation also means learning how to scale
One of LEBIU’s greatest challenges has been taking research beyond the laboratory. Developing a promising sample is only the beginning; turning it into a stable, viable solution capable of meeting real market demands requires time, testing and a clear industrial vision.
For Fabio, the challenge has been finding the right balance between innovation, performance and scalability. This means adapting existing processes to produce something new, reorganising ways of working and accepting that nature does not always respond with absolute uniformity.
Each piece is different. This variability can be technically complex, but it is also part of the material’s identity. Rather than hiding it, LEBIU understands it as an inherent quality of working with natural resources.
Not about imitation, but about opening new possibilities
One of the most common mistakes brands make when approaching these kinds of materials is expecting them to behave exactly like conventional ones. Their value, however, does not lie only in replacing existing materials, but in offering new ways of designing.
As Fabio Molinas explains:
“Brands that truly understand new-generation materials are not simply looking for a direct substitute, but for a new creative possibility.”
This idea is especially relevant in sectors where materials do more than serve a practical function: they also communicate identity, values and positioning. For these solutions to find their place, collaboration is needed between those who develop the material and the creative teams within brands. It is through this dialogue that the material can adapt to the product without losing its own character.
The value of corporate gifting
In the field of corporate gifting, materials are playing an increasingly strategic role. Companies are no longer looking only for useful or visually appealing products; they also need pieces that can convey a story, an origin and a particular way of understanding sustainability.
From Fabio’s perspective, the value of CORSKIN® in accessories and corporate products lies in the combination of narrative, innovation and tactile experience. It is not just about offering a different alternative, but about creating objects that connect with a more contemporary vision of design.
This approach aligns with the work of CANUSSA LAB, where we develop accessories and corporate solutions that bring together design, functionality and responsible materials.
The importance of avoiding superficial use
Integrating new-generation materials requires responsibility. For Fabio, one of the main mistakes is using them merely as an aesthetic choice or as a green marketing argument.
The use of these materials must make sense within the design, the product and the real values of the brand. It is also important to avoid exaggerated claims. No material is a definitive solution on its own, and none should be presented as capable of solving all the challenges of the industry.
Fabio refers to this idea as a kind of quiet adaptation: a silent, gradual and coherent transition. A way of introducing new materialities naturally, expanding the range of choices and allowing different solutions to coexist depending on the context, the use and the sensitivity of each brand.
A future where materials coexist
In the coming years, Fabio expects biomaterials to grow significantly. Innovation is moving fast, and new solutions may emerge that we cannot yet anticipate.
However, his vision is not based on the total replacement of conventional materials. The future will be more hybrid: different materials will coexist depending on product needs, the economic context and the expectations of consumers and brands.
In this scenario, new generations of materials will gain ground in areas where design is not only about solving a function, but also about expressing identity, traceability and a vision for the future.
Designing from what already exists
LEBIU Design’s proposal invites us to rethink our relationship with resources. It is not only about producing differently, but about learning to recognise value in what is already available.
As Fabio puts it:
“We need to change our relationship with materials: to stop thinking only in terms of extraction and consumption, and to start seeing value in what already exists and in what a material wants to tell us.”
From this perspective, designing the future does not necessarily mean starting from scratch. It can also mean reinterpreting familiar materials in a more intelligent, sensitive and contemporary way, preserving their connection to their origin while transforming them into new opportunities for design.
