What happens to a festival advertising banner once the event is over? Or to leftover textiles from the production process? PÖFF, Reet Aus and Comdecor show how old materials can become the beginning of new stories, and together with Solaris, invite everyone to a free design workshop. A unique collection of bags made from advertising banners used at previous festivals is now available in the PÖFF online shop for the very first time. You can also pre-order a brand-new PÖFF wolf T-shirt!
In My Previous Life, I Was a PÖFF Banner. Now I'm a PÖFF Bag!
The best stories don't end after the first act. And neither does the story of PÖFF's advertising banners, which have decorated festival venues and served as the backdrop for countless cinematic experiences over the years.
In collaboration with Reet Aus and Comdecor, these materials have taken on an entirely new role. Through upcycling in Estonia, they have been transformed into sports bags, backpacks, fruit bags and waist bags.
Each item is made from a different section of a festival banner, meaning that every bag is one of a kind, carrying a little piece of PÖFF's visual history.
The aim of this collaboration is to create a circular system in which textile advertising banners produced by Comdecor are passed on to Reet Aus after the festival and transformed into merchandise for future editions.
Instead of a material's story ending after a single use, a whole new act begins.
The PÖFF Wolf Saves the World. Or at Least One Piece of Fabric at a Time!
This year, the iconic PÖFF wolf has taken on a new role.
This time, the wolf isn't just appearing on posters or screens. It also features on the third festival T-shirt in Reet Aus's UPMADE® certified collection.
The new dark blue T-shirt, featuring a green wolf, is made from 100% cotton textile industry production leftovers. Instead of producing new fabric, the design gives existing materials a purpose.
Producing one T-shirt prevents 170 grams of new material from being wasted. According to the product's digital passport, this production method saves an average of 99% of water, 91% of energy and 92% of CO₂ emissions compared with conventional production.
And while festival wolves have their PÖFF passes, the PÖFF wolf T-shirt has a digital passport of its own!
The digital passport tells the story of what the shirt is made from and how it was produced, allowing every wearer to explore the garment's origins and environmental impact.
For the very first time, the collection created in collaboration between PÖFF and Reet Aus is available in the PÖFF online shop!
The collection includes sports bags, backpacks, fruit bags and waist bags, all upcycled in Estonia from advertising banners used at previous festivals.
You can also pre-order the brand-new UPMADE® PÖFF wolf T-shirt, which will be ready for the start of the festival.
The collection can also be explored and purchased at the Reet Aus studio in Telliskivi Creative City (Telliskivi 60a/5) and, during the festival, at the PÖFF information point on the second floor of Solaris Centre.
Take a piece of PÖFF history home with you!
As we celebrate PÖFF's 30th anniversary, we're also looking towards the future and inviting everyone to a hands-on design workshop at Solaris Centre's atrium on 17 November at 17:30.
Together with Reet Aus, Solaris and Comdecor, we're putting creativity into action. Less talking, more making!
Participation is free, but places are limited, so make sure to register in advance.
REGISTER FOR THE WORKSHOP HERE
Under the guidance of Margaret Aus, each participant will have the opportunity to create their own design for a PÖFF T-shirt.
And your design doesn't have to stay on paper!
All designs created during the workshop will be entered into a public vote, and the winning design will become a real PÖFF T-shirt.
That means every participant has the chance to leave their own creative mark on PÖFF's history.
The workshop is open to everyone, regardless of age or previous experience in design or crafts. All you need is curiosity, creativity and the desire to make something yourself.
The collaboration between PÖFF, Reet Aus and Comdecor demonstrates how thoughtful design and making better use of existing materials can help make festival production more sustainable.
A material that forms part of a festival's visual identity one year can become a practical item in someone's everyday life the next.
Solaris supports Estonian design and local creativity by bringing together designers, businesses and people whose choices can make a difference.
This time, everyone has the opportunity to become part of the creative process.
"Estonian design has an important place at Solaris, and we want to introduce people not only to the finished products but also to the ideas and creative processes behind them. Together with PÖFF, Comdecor and Reet Aus, we can show how existing materials can be transformed into something new and valuable. We hope that by designing and making things themselves, participants will also be inspired to look at the items they already have at home in a new light," says Kristin Lepikson, Marketing Manager of Solaris Centre.
Because the best stories don't end after the first act. Sometimes the most exciting chapter begins when the curtain falls.
The workshop is brought to you by PÖFF, Reet Aus, Solaris and Comdecor.
What happens to a PÖFF advertising banner after the festival? How does a large piece of advertising fabric become a practical, one-of-a-kind bag?
Together with Reet Aus and Comdecor, we've created a short documentary that takes you behind the scenes of our circular materials journey.
Discover how festival advertising banners are produced, what happens to them after use and how old materials are transformed into something entirely new.
Watch our mini-documentary and discover how the end of one material's story can become the beginning of another!
### A Beginner's Guide to Saving the World!You don't have to save the world in a single day. Small, conscious choices can add up to meaningful change over time.
Here are a few things worth keeping in mind the next time you go shopping or think about creating something new.
1. The Most Sustainable Item Is Often the One You Already Own
Before buying something new, consider whether you can repair, adapt or reuse what you already have.
Consuming less generally means using fewer new resources.
2. Look at the Material, Not Just the Appearance
Whenever possible, choose natural fabrics made from a single type of fibre, such as 100% cotton.
Unlike many blended fabrics, single-fibre materials can be easier to recycle. However, actual recyclability also depends on how the material has been treated and what recycling facilities are available locally.
3. Give Things a Second, Third or Even Fourth Life
An old advertising banner can become a bag, worn-out jeans can turn into a new accessory, and leftover fabric can become something completely unexpected.
Before throwing something away, ask yourself: what else could this become?
4. Find Out Where Your Things Come From
Who made this product? What is it made from? Were existing materials used in its production? Is reliable information available about its environmental impact?
Making conscious choices starts with asking good questions.
5. Choose Quality and Longevity
The cheapest product isn't always the best choice, especially if it breaks quickly.
Look for items that are durable, repairable and that you'll still want to use years from now.
6. Don't Let Good Materials Go to Waste
If you no longer need something, consider whether you can pass it on, donate it, have it repaired or take it to an appropriate collection point.
The rubbish bin should be the last option, not the first.
And most importantly, you don't have to be a perfect world-saver!
It's enough to start noticing, asking questions and making more conscious choices, one step at a time.
Because just like the films at PÖFF, every material can have more than one great story to tell.