Lena Heinrich
Lena Heinrich is a Berlin-based multidisciplinary artist, designer, and environmental engineer. She trained in heritage millinery before studying water and environmental engineering in the UK, building an international career in the water sector. Alongside, she developed her craft and design practice. In 2019, she founded a design studio in Johannesburg, shifting to material-led work. After returning to Europe, she completed a further Master of Advanced Studies in craftsmanship-focused product design at ECAL, Lausanne. Her work appears in publications such as Vogue Italia, Le Temps, and House&Leisure. In 2026, she received the Ruskin Mill Trust Prize for functional art.
Combining expertise in craftsmanship, design, and environmental engineering, I lead a research-led, craftsmanship-based design studio creating collectable objects that exist between function and art. Beginning with material provenance - regenerative, compostable, and ethically sourced - I investigate the environmental and social interdependencies linking local material choices to global systems.
Seeing preservation as an act of renewal rather than retention, I focus on reinterpreting traditional craftsmanship techniques through contemporary design and treating craft as a living practice - one that evolves through innovation, use, and renewed relevance.
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