Project

Designing for the
end of life.

re:turn is an independent design research project on how we design for the end of life. It began in 2025 at AMFI, Amsterdam Fashion Institute. It asks whether the objects surrounding farewell can be designed with more thought, sensitivity and material awareness.

It does not treat death as something to make fashionable. It is not a funeral service, not a religion, and it does not represent any one tradition. The ritual garment is its first expression, currently at concept stage.

Ongoing research
re:turn project visual: folded undyed cloth resting on moss in dappled light.

The question

We think carefully about what people wear throughout life.

But almost never about the last thing they wear.

What should the final garment we give someone be?

08 The name

The meaning of re:turn

re
again
back
renewal
leaf colon
pause
transition
turn
movement
change
return

Returning to the earth. To simpler materials. To touch and care. To the understanding that death is part of a natural cycle.

09 Philosophy

Six quiet commitments.

Nothing is added that does not need to be there.

  1. 01

    Honesty

    Materials are understood for what they really are.

  2. 02

    Care

    Small details matter, because the object exists within a moment that matters.

  3. 03

    Return

    We consider what happens to every material after use.

  4. 04

    Simplicity

    Nothing unnecessary remains.

  5. 05

    Material integrity

    Materials are chosen deliberately, not only for how they look.

  6. 06

    Closeness

    Farewell can involve touch and presence, not only distance.