Meet the Maker: Nick Chin, Bugskin

Nick Chin is the founder of Bugskin, a label born from curiosity in what happens to vinyl billboards beyond their intended use. Recently, we approached Bugskin to transform the canvases from our Interwoven: Motions of Passage exhibition into a thoughtful collection of tote bags, each functional and visually unique. 

Ahead we speak to Nick about the collaboration, and our shared vision of rethinking waste, value, and the lifespan of materials.

Tell us about the origins of Bugskin. What inspired you to start the brand? 
Bugskin comes from a long-standing interest in working with materials and how they can be extended beyond their intended life. I’ve always worked across fashion in different forms, from screen printing and garment design through to a period of upcycling denim sourced from around Melbourne.

Over time, that practice naturally expanded into looking at other discarded materials and how they could be reworked into new objects. Retired billboards became a key material because of their scale, durability and visual language. Bugskin grew from that intersection of material exploration and reuse.

How did the collaboration begin, and what excited you about the project from the outset?
The collaboration came through Jardan’s Interwoven: Motions of Passage exhibition, which explored the relationship between material, process and the human touch through their latest rug collection. As part of the exhibition, they created a series of beautiful tapestries that would have later been discarded after the show.

They approached us to transform these into a collection of 10 one-of-one bags. It felt like a very natural extension of the exhibition especially as the work explored ideas of transition and material storytelling, so giving the tapestries a second life felt like a continuation of that narrative.

Bugskin is known for working with billboard vinyl. What were your initial thoughts when the brief involved a new material? 

It was a clear shift in both weight and feel. The canvases are much softer and lighter than what I usually work with, which immediately changed the way I approached them. The other thing that stood out was the vibrancy in the colour and pattern. I noticed it at the opening of the exhibition, but it really became apparent once I had the material in hand. There’s a richness to it that carries through from the exhibition space, and it made the material feel really alive and full of energy.

Can you walk us through the process from when the canvases arrived at Bugskin HQ?

Each canvas is first laid out in full and studied before any cutting begins. I spend time mapping out the composition based on both structure and visual elements. From there, the material is carefully cut, pattern pieces are developed, and the bags are then constructed and sewn. Because every piece is different, the process is quite slow and considered. Each bag can take several hours to complete depending on the complexity.

Interwoven celebrates the idea that no two handmade pieces are exactly alike. Does this resonate with your own approach to design?

Yes, completely. It’s something that sits at the core of how I work. With found and pre-existing materials, there’s always an element of unpredictability, so no two pieces ever really start from the same place. The material itself plays a big role in shaping the outcome, whether that’s through colour, print, scale or the way different sections naturally align. 

Even when the structure or pattern is consistent, each piece develops its own identity through those small differences in the material. I think that’s what makes working this way feel quite honest, you’re responding to what’s already there, rather than forcing everything into a fixed outcome. That variation is something I’ve come to value a lot in the work.

Which pieces from the collaboration are you most excited about?
The pieces that hold the strongest traces of the original tapestry are the most interesting to me. They sit in a kind of in-between space, where the history of the exhibition is still visible, but it has been reworked into something completely new. That balance between past and present feels most aligned with the intention of the collection.

If you had to describe this collection in three words, what would they be?
Layered. Transitional. Considered.

What’s next for Bugskin?

This year has been one of refinement and transformation for Bugskin. We’ve spent time rethinking our systems, processes and overall direction, focusing on how the work can evolve in a more considered way and better support where the brand is heading. Alongside that, there’s been a strong focus on developing new products, refining existing forms, and testing how the language of Bugskin can expand while still staying true to the core idea of reuse and material storytelling. We’re now moving into a phase of sharing that work more openly in the coming weeks, alongside continuing to explore new materials and collaborations that extend the idea of reuse in different contexts.

Find out more about Bugskin here.