Toray Industries, Inc. announced that we have jointly conducted a special program for design students at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing with NIO Inc. Toray and NIO, which share the vision of making society and people’s lives richer and more beautiful through manufacturing, jointly held this special class for 11 second-year students from the Product Design Department at Central Academy of Fine Arts, with the aim of supporting the development of young designers. The program comprised three sessions. The first session featured a lecture on Toray’s Ultrasuede, non-woven material with a suede texture, and a lecture about automotive interior design by NIO. The second session was a workshop that used Ultrasuede and included progress reports on students’ assignments. The final session focused on presenting the final reports and actual prototypes.
At the lecture, NIO designers talked about the “Second living room” concept of NIO interior design and the direction NIO is aiming for. The concept of “Second living room” is to create a simple and functional yet elegant, warm, and comfortable space, which was realized through Ultrasuede.
Toray introduced Ultrasuede’s history of more than 50 years, information on various products developed under the vision of “To enrich society through empowered creativity and materials evolution.”, its future material development policy to realize a richer and more beautiful society for people’s lives, and its environmentally friendly manufacturing processes.
The workshop proved an excellent platform for the students to learn and feel Ultrasuede by cutting, pasting, and sewing Ultrasuede, encouraging them to develop innovative ideas.
We reused samples that had previously been discarded, such as leftover material from Ultrasuede prototypes, by providing them to students to make effective use of the materials.
During the second session, the students showcased their proposals, applying the knowledge they had gained. They were given two options for their projects. One was to design new interior spaces using Ultrasuede for NIO’s ES6 model. The other was to create proposals for incorporating Ultrasuede in both homes and vehicles, inspired by the concept of a second living room. Out of these, five top proposals were chosen for further refinements for final presentations.
The Award of Excellence went to Shen Tang, who designed and created a lighting stand for home use as a NIO LIFE item. The item features digitally perforated Ultrasuede wrapped around the lamp, earning high praise from NIO and Toray representatives. They greatly appreciated how this creation showcased the warm texture of this material and its excellent cuttability.
Students found that the program offered an excellent chance to explore their major in product design through a materials perspective, learning unique approaches that leverage material characteristics to expand their creative possibilities. They also considered it valuable to receive direct guidance from professional designers at the forefront of electric vehicle design. Joint support from Toray and NIO provided new insights and opportunities for learning about material selection within the product design process, enhancing their creative potential.
The Central Academy of Fine Arts, established in 1918 as the National School of Fine Arts in Beijing, was China’s first dedicated art institution. It has become a significant contributor to the country’s art scene, producing many influential artists, some of whom now teach there. Since 2017, Toray has been involved with the academy, providing special lectures on Ultrasuede and supplying materials at no cost for the Product Design students’ graduation projects in the School of Design, which is renowned for its exceptional mobility design education. The recent collaboration with an automaker marks Toray’s first such endeavor.
NIO was founded in 2014 as an electric vehicle manufacturer and distributor in China. It has consistently aimed to enhance customer lifestyles by offering a suite of services in addition to sell vehicles and provide transportation.
Starting in 2017, when NIO launched vehicle sales, the company has incorporated Ultrasuede in the ceilings, pillars, and sun visors of all production models. Most recently, it introduced a new Ultrasuede which uses recycled resources derived from plants as part of its raw materials for its new ES8, ES6, EC7, and EC6 models. NIO and Toray share various initiatives and visions for the future toward the realization of sustainable manufacturing and circular economy.
Both companies remain committed to improving lifestyle quality through sustainable practices and nurturing tomorrow’s designers.