Vartula

Sara Howard x Kevala

Vartula — a Sanskrit word for circular, embodying regenerative design where the discarded becomes the essential.

Infused with elegance and ecological purpose. The Vartula collection reflects the skilled touch of 17 Balinese artisans and a commitment to extending a material's lifetime, offering customisable, hospitality-grade ceramics designed for conscious homes and luxury hospitality spaces alike.

Post-consumer glass waste, recovered from Bali’s rivers by Sungai Watch, is transformed into ceramic glazes. These glazes are applied to a clay body entirely reclaimed from the ceramic factories wastewater treatment system, resulting in a 15-piece tableware collection where symbiotic relationships form the foundation of design.

Placing transparent supply chains at the forefront, Vartula embodies a harmonious blend
of environmental responsibility and timeless elegance.

‘I’ve always believed that meaningful partnerships can emerge from shared values, and the relationship with Sungai Watch is one I’m especially proud of. When I arrived in Indonesia and began to understand how waste is managed here, I quickly learned that Bali’s 400+ rivers often serve as informal waste disposal channels for many communities.

Through Sungai Watch’s work, installing barriers and mobilising river warriors to retrieve and sort waste, the glass they retrieved quickly caught my eye. With no recycling facilities in Bali and transportation to Java limited by the weight of glass, the material began to accumulate, with nowhere to go.

This challenge presented an opportunity. I began exploring how this recovered glass might replace virgin materials typically mined and imported for ceramic production at Kevala. From this inquiry, two new glazes were developed, each able to stand alone or be layered to form a textured surface.’

- Extract from Interview with Sara Howard.