Designer Rahat Rai turns dust into slippers

The Done & Dusted project by Rahat Rai offers a fresh take on household waste by using vacuum cleaner dust to create a soft, felt-like fabric. This fabric is then used to make comfortable slippers, showing how something usually seen as useless can be turned into a meaningful product.

After the dust is collected, it goes through a process where it is heated, cleaned, and tightly pressed using felting techniques. This transforms the dust into a usable material that feels soft but holds its shape.

Once the fabric is formed, it is strengthened with a stitched grid pattern and finished with latex along the edges. The final result is a pair of slippers, ironically made from the very dust they usually protect against.

Done & Dusted also invites us to think more deeply about how we use materials. It shows how even waste that often goes unnoticed can be turned into something both useful and beautiful. Rai hopes the idea can grow beyond slippers, with possible uses in home decor or product packaging. The project reflects personal habits through the use of household dust and questions common ideas about what is considered valuable or attractive in today’s design world.