Mirei Monticelli is a Milan-based Filipina designer. Working from her roots has exposed her to the world of traditional manufacturing and production of furniture, where everything is made by hand. This environment exposed her to the beautiful world of artisan crafts, but then gave her the yearning to explore state-of-the-art techniques that come from the western world – which led her to study at Politecnico di Milano with a Masters degree in Design and Engineering in 2017. In 2019, she founded Studiomirei. On the same year, her Nebula lamp was awarded during Milan Design Week’s Salone Satellite at Rho Fiera Milano.
Studio Mirei is deeply rooted in creating conscious and sustainable designs while working with industrial processes and craft artisans. We evaluate the best processes and materials for each piece that goes into an item depending on its quality, novelty and environmental footprint. We work within an intersection of sustainable materials, craft, technology and empowering communities.
Currently, the studio mainly works with lighting products made of Banaca fiber, cultivated from the Philippines and woven by a community of weavers found in the province of Bicol. We are striving to create sustainable livelihood programs for the development of our weaving community.
