Diffus Design

Diffus Design is a Copenhagen, Denmark-based design and consultancy company founded in 2004 by Michel Guglielmi and Hanne-Louise Johannesen as a creative partnership. Its work combines theoretical investigation with practical experimentation across art, product design, architecture, interactive media, and material innovation. Rather than treating technology as a separate layer added to a finished object, Diffus Design has focused on embedding sensing, computation, illumination, and energy systems within materials, textiles, garments, accessories, and spatial installations. A central area of the company’s practice is the development of intelligent textiles and wearable technology. Diffus Design has explored conductive embroidery, smart fabrics, flexible electronic components, tangible interfaces, composite materials, and interactive installations. These projects are intended to demonstrate how traditional craft and industrial or digital technologies can be combined without concealing the material logic of the object. The resulting work often makes environmental data, touch, movement, or energy use visible through light and other responsive behaviors. The company’s project portfolio includes research-oriented collaborations as well as commissioned product and design work. The Climate Dress, created in 2009 with Forster-Rohner, the Alexandra Institute, and the Danish School of Design, used embroidered conductive pathways, LED elements, a carbon-dioxide detector, and an Arduino LilyPad microprocessor to translate nearby CO2 levels into changing light patterns. The Solar Handbag, developed in 2011 with the Alexandra Institute and the Center for Software Innovation, integrated solar cells into its exterior embroidery to generate power for a rechargeable battery and included optical fibers that illuminated the bag’s interior. Diffus Design has also participated in broader collaborative research initiatives. The CREATIF project investigated smart-fabric production through software and a printer capable of depositing electronic materials with interactive properties. Light.Touch.Matters brought together product designers, material scientists, and industry participants to investigate materials that could sense touch and movement and respond with light, using piezoelectric plastics and flexible OLED technologies as important technical foundations. Alongside experimental projects, Diffus Design undertakes consultancy and research in interactive design, intelligent textiles, architecture, and product development. Its stated client reach extends across sectors including industrial production, fashion, and infrastructure planning. The company has worked in association with organizations such as Forster Rohner, Inntex, the Alexandra Institute, Delft University of Technology, and other research or creative partners. Public reference material identifies Diffus Design primarily through its projects and collaborative design practice; detailed information about its current ownership, executive structure, commercial scale, and present operating status is not established here.

Diffus Design was established in Copenhagen in 2004 by Michel Guglielmi and Hanne-Louise Johannesen as a creative partnership. From its beginning, the practice was organized around the relationship between conceptual design research and practical making. Its scope extended beyond conventional product styling to include art, architecture, new media, materials, and interfaces that could respond to environmental or human input. The company developed a distinctive interest in integrating sensor technology with established materials and craft processes. Intelligent textiles became an especially important field of activity. Conductive embroidery, flexible electronic components, embedded processors, LEDs, and sensing systems were investigated as parts of the material structure rather than as visibly separate hardware. This approach allowed Diffus Design to address both the appearance of an object and the way it behaved in use. One of the best-known examples of this work was The Climate Dress, developed in 2009 with Swiss embroidery company Forster-Rohner, the Alexandra Institute, and the Danish School of Design. The garment incorporated hundreds of LEDs and responded to carbon-dioxide levels in its surrounding environment. A carbon-dioxide detector and an Arduino LilyPad microprocessor controlled changing light patterns, while conductive embroidery carried the electrical connections. The project was notable for incorporating the functional system into the embroidery and avoiding the conventional reliance on exposed wiring, soldering, or crimping. Diffus Design continued its exploration of energy-aware wearable objects with the Solar Handbag, developed in 2011 in collaboration with the Alexandra Institute and the Center for Software Innovation. The design incorporated 100 silicon solar cells into the exterior of the bag. The cells generated approximately two watts of usable energy for a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, while optical fibers inside the bag produced light to help users locate objects. As with The Climate Dress, the technical system was integrated into the surface and construction of the product. The company also participated in collaborative research programs concerned with the future of smart materials and digital fabrication. The CREATIF project investigated software and a smart-fabric printer able to deposit electronic materials and produce interactive textile structures. Its listed creative partners included Diffus Design, Base Structures, and Zaha Hadid Architects. Light.Touch.Matters, meanwhile, brought together product designers, material scientists, and industry participants to investigate materials capable of sensing touch and movement and responding with light. Piezoelectric plastics and flexible OLEDs were among the technologies associated with that research direction. Diffus Design’s broader practice has included consultancy, research, and product design for clients in multiple industries. Its areas of activity have included interactive design, intelligent textiles, architecture, and infrastructure-related planning, with collaborations involving organizations such as Forster Rohner, Inntex, the Alexandra Institute, and Delft University of Technology. Publicly available reference material provides substantial information about the company’s projects and methods but does not establish a complete account of later corporate developments, current management, ownership, or financial performance.

• 2011

  Solar Handbag developed

  [1]Diffus Designen.wikipedia.org

  The Solar Handbag combined woven solar cells, conductive embroidery, battery storage, and interior optical fibers for energy generation and illumination.

• 2009

  The Climate Dress developed

  [1]Diffus Designen.wikipedia.org

  Diffus Design collaborated with Forster-Rohner, the Alexandra Institute, and the Danish School of Design on a garment that translated surrounding carbon-dioxide levels into changing LED patterns.

• 2004

  Diffus Design founded

  [1]Diffus Designen.wikipedia.org

  Michel Guglielmi and Hanne-Louise Johannesen established Diffus Design in Copenhagen as a creative partnership focused on design, research, and emerging technologies.

A research-led design and consultancy practice that connects traditional craft and material production with sensors, embedded electronics, responsive lighting, and interactive systems.

• Wearable technology and intelligent textiles · 2009

  The Climate Dress

  A 2009 interactive garment created with Forster-Rohner, the Alexandra Institute, and the Danish School of Design. It contains hundreds of LEDs that alter their patterns according to nearby carbon-dioxide concentration. A detector and Arduino LilyPad microprocessor control the response, while conductive embroidery integrates the electrical pathways into the textile. The design demonstrates how sensing and computation can be incorporated into embroidery and clothing without relying on visibly separate wiring or conventional soldered connections.

• Wearable technology and energy-generating accessory · 2011

  Solar Handbag

  A 2011 accessory developed with the Alexandra Institute and the Center for Software Innovation. Its exterior incorporates 100 silicon solar cells woven into conductive embroidery. The cells produce approximately two watts of usable energy, which is stored in a rechargeable lithium-ion battery for charging a mobile device. Optical fibers inside the bag provide illumination, combining energy harvesting with a practical user interface.

• Smart-fabric research project

  The CREATIF

  A collaborative research project centered on smart fabrics and digital production. Its objective was to develop software and a smart-fabric printer capable of printing electronic materials containing inks with interactive properties. Diffus Design worked with Base Structures and Zaha Hadid Architects as creative partners in the project consortium.

• Responsive-materials research project

  Light.Touch.Matters

  A cooperation involving product designers, material scientists, and industry participants. The project investigated smart materials that could detect touch and movement and respond with light. Its technology base included piezoelectric plastics and flexible organic light-emitting diodes, reflecting Diffus Design’s interest in embedding interaction directly into material systems.

1. 1Diffus Designen.wikipedia.org