crafting plastics! studio is an award winning Bratislava-Berlin based design research studio, founded by Vlasta Kubušová and Miroslav Král. The studio's practice focuses its expertise on cross-disciplinary research, development, and implementation of new generations of better ecological biocomposites into our current and future day-to-day lives.

Realizing dynamic research and innovation in materials and design, we provide a base for interdisciplinary progress towards enjoyable sustainability and more transparent production. We explore new ways of developing products, from basic craft approach to high-tech machinery. Our pursuit is to be in full control of the lifespan of the product, from its origin – in the form of unrefined material – through the final product until its inevitable decay.

In crafting plastics! studio we are trying to introduce sustainable products where the team is actively involved in all value-added stages. We emphasize low-key and high-end. By combining craft + technology, fast + slow production methods, we discover the mostly unknown field of bioplastics derived from plants. These, together with compatible technologies, are being explored and possible applications tested.

The studio’s projects have been presented at some of the most renowned institutions, including Victoria and Albert Museum London, London Design Museum, Salon del Mobile, Rossana Orlandi Milan, Schloss Hollenegg for Design, MAK Vienna, and many more. Cp!s won several international prizes, including Diploma Selection (2016), Green Product Award (2021), German Design Award (2021) and Slovak National Design Award (2018). In 2019, the studio was nominated for Beazley Designs of the Years (London Design Museum, 2019) and the studio was shortlisted in the Emerging Studio of the Year Category by Dezeen Award (2022). In 2018, Vlasta was appointed a member of the Slovak Forbes’ 30under30. 

Vlasta currently conducts further research on the responsive biomaterials within her ArtD studies at Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava. She was a recipient of Fulbright Scholarship for 2021/2022, working on interactive biomaterials  at University of Pennsylvania. Recently Vlasta recieved MIT-SLOVAKIA MISTI Global Seed Funding for project Senseable Matter - research in interactive biomaterials for design and architecture with Dr. Andreas Mershin at Center for Bits and Atoms, MIT Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Apart from their design practice,  crafting plastics! are also involved as co-founder and initiator of various cross-disciplinary projects, symposiums and forums such as In the Midl Design Forum, De/Posium, and recent platform Biomaterials in Practice (co-founded with Verena Michels).

Current team members:
Vlasta Kubušová
Miroslav Král
Silvia Sukopová

Erik Král

Adam Trup

Žofia Horová

Simon Bauer

Adela Ščasná

Martina Bajteková

Juraj Olejár

Awards, Stipends

2022
MIT MISTI GSF Funding MISTI-Slovakia, Senseable Matter project 
Shorlisted Dezeen Award -Best Emergening Studio of the Year

2021
German Design Award - Special in Excelent Architecture Category for Breazea
Green Product Award - Winner in Product Award for BreaZea
Fulbright Funding - PhD studies, University of Pennsylvania

2020 + 2021
Student of the year - Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava (Vlasta)

2019
Bazeley Design Of The Year - nomination, London Design Museum
Dezeen Award, Longlisted in Emerging design studios of the year 2019

2018
Forbes Slovakia 30pod30
German Design Award - Nomination in category Newcomer

2017
Slovak National Award for Product Design - Design with added value - winner
Tatra Banka Art Prize- winner in category Design - Young artist
Make Me! Design Award - finalist
Green Product Award - finalist

2016
Talente Munich - finalist
Start Up Award SK - finalist in category Art & Design
Designblok - Diploma selection - winner

2014
Bratislava Design Week - Best Product and Main Prize
Halabala Prize - winner for stool Splita
DMY Berlin – Flowers for Slovakia, collective prize

Exhibitions

Miami Art Week, December 
Pulse International Architecture & Design Festiva, Prague, October
Materials Matters, London Design Festival, September
Habitare MaHabitare Materials exhibition, Helsinki, September
ICFF, Eco Solidarity Talk, NYC, May
Design Friends, Luxembourg, May
Milan Design Week, Alcova, Senseables & Collection 13, April

2016
Designblok Prague | Open Studio, Diploma Selection 
Dutch Design Week | Klokebow
Bratislava Design Week | Slowatch concept store
Beirut Design Week | Exhibition curated by studio QUEI
State Of Design Berlin | Exhibition curated by Max Borka
Milan Design Week | cp!s Collection 1 | Spazio Rossana Orlandi 

crafting plastics! and it's representation at the exhibitions outside of Slovakia in the years 2018-2023
were financially supported by Slovak Art Council.