Artist
Sandra Junele
Textile Design & Interior Design
Sandra Junele
Themes:
Fashion, recycling, upcycling, entrepreneurship, sustainable design, fashion waste.
Meet Sandra Junele.
Sandra is a sustainable designer and artist.
She holds a degree in Textile Design and a diploma in Interior Design, and she runs a creative business converting small businesses’ fabric waste into new materials. From these, she makes one-of-a-kind handmade business signs, wall art, and décor pieces.
She also collaborates with designers and illustrators to translate their concepts into artworks made from recycled materials.
Sandra gives small businesses attractive, bespoke tactile artworks that narrate their eco-conscious actions — perfect for brands wanting their audiences to see their sustainability commitments.
She’s an innovator and a communicator. She has built a strong online community around sustainable design, sharing her signature processes to inspire others to rethink the life cycle of textiles and to show that recycled is no compromise.
Sandra represented the UK at the Global Youth Business of the Year Awards, received the Award for Innovation in Fashion & Textiles: UNESCO City of Design (2023), and the New Maker Award: Fife Contemporary (2022).
Education
Sandra holds a degree in Textile Design and a diploma in Interior Design.
Biography
Sandra was born in Latvia and now lives in Scotland, where she runs her own sustainable business, JUNELE. Over the years, she has built her career as an eco-conscious entrepreneur and artist, with her work exhibited at major international events including Clerkenwell Design Week in London, Berlin Design Week, and the Mark Rothko Museum in Latvia.
Awards
In recognition of her work, Sandra has received several awards. In 2023, she was selected as a finalist for the Global Youth Business of the Year Awards, representing the UK at the Global Summit in Kenya. She was also honoured with the Award for Innovation in Fashion & Textiles: UNESCO City of Design 2023 and the New Maker Award: Fife Contemporary 2022, which have further strengthened my journey as a sustainable designer and artist.
Professional language Experience
When I first arrived in Scotland, I didn’t speak English and knew no one. Through determination, studying at college and later at university, I was able to build and run my own business (in English). This journey gave me a deep understanding of the challenges faced by anyone starting out, especially when sharing their work in a new language.
I have presented my work in a variety of settings, including Kenya, universities, and schools, engaging audiences and inspiring others to explore sustainable design. I am fluent in Latvian, Russian, and English.
