Mirell Vinnal

Category: Accessories

Competitions: International

This creative project is rooted in a personal family story, inspired by a young boy’s dream — the desire to become a circuit racer. Over the years, this passion has shaped not only one individual's path but has also influenced the entire family and, more broadly, the surrounding community. My father, who from a young age felt a strong calling toward motorsports, began his amateur racing career in the late 1990s. What started as family weekends quickly turned into traditional race-filled weekends at the track. Shared moments by the racetrack — from refueling and tire changes to emotional cheering — fostered a close-knit community. Growing up in such a unique environment has significantly influenced my design identity. My creative choices to date clearly reflect both the aesthetic and functional impact of this world. The starting point of this graduation project was my personal experience within the world of circuit racing. My goal is to unite my two passions — design and motorsport. I explore the specific features of amateur motorsport, contrasting it with the traditional approach centered on speed and resource-intensive performance. Through this project, I offer a more creative alternative via a more sustainable design process, drawing inspiration from the aesthetics of motorsport. Motorsport, broadly speaking, can be divided into two categories: amateur and professional. The key differences lie in their goals and available resources. Professional racing is characterized by maximum speed and performance, aiming to drive continuous technical development. Every detail — from the driver’s physical and mental conditioning to the car’s technical specifications — is meticulously planned and optimized. Preparing a race car is a team effort, involving various specialists — from team leaders and mechanics to engineers, strategists, and data analysts. Since races occur in extreme conditions, safety is paramount. From years of experience, I know that many components are not reused, even if they are still technically functional. Bolts, nuts, and other critical parts are often replaced after just a single race. Entirely functional spare parts are regularly destroyed or rendered unusable to prevent them from falling into competitors’ hands. This is also essential for brand protection, ensuring that parts do not end up on the black market or used in unsafe conditions. Professional motorsport, beyond being a race, is also a global business and entertainment industry full of sponsor expectations and public scrutiny. Amateur motorsport presents a sharp contrast. At the forefront is the enthusiasm and passion for the sport — often, the joy of participating outweighs achieving the fastest lap. Although amateurs also strive for better results and personal milestones, they must do so with much smaller budgets and limited resources. Car maintenance and repairs are often collaborative efforts between the driver and their circle of friends. Second-hand parts are used, and tuning is carried out independently. Efficient resource use is a practical necessity. Tires, bolts, and other parts are used for as long as possible. Safety is important for amateurs too, but their expenses are constrained by a far more modest budget than in professional racing. Family, friends, and fans of the sport often support both preparations and on-site logistics, creating a supportive community. As a counterpoint to the wasteful practices of professional motorsport, I propose rediscovering the field through the lens of the amateur. The Slow Motorsport concept emphasizes sustainability, community, the joy of driving, and the design potential of a spare-parts-based system. While professional motorsport discards even slightly worn parts after minimal use, Slow Motorsport treats each component as part of a modular system that can be repaired, reused, or replaced. The practical outcome of this creative project is a modular shoulder bag, inspired by my childhood experiences — growing up in a motorsport environment where my dual passions for design and cars merged. Thus emerged the idea, rooted in the Slow Motorsport concept, to create a functional, circular-design-inspired shoulder bag that meets the practical needs of a day at the racetrack. The shoulder bag is designed primarily for long days spent at the track — it fits all essentials like a water bottle, wallet, and phone, and allows outerwear to be attached if needed. The bag’s construction is inspired by automotive spare parts systems, enabling easy maintenance, repair, or part replacement. This approach helps extend the lifespan of both materials and the product while minimizing the use of new materials. The bag is intended especially for women involved in motorsports — whether professional racers, enthusiasts, or supporters. Having personally experienced both roles — as a hobby racer and a supporter — I understand the need for such a product. The bag combines daily functionality with a visual language that reflects the wearer’s connection to motorsport. Production Process: In designing the bag, I consciously chose to work with second-hand materials. My aim was to upcycle materials that would otherwise have been discarded as automotive industry waste. The materials used were mostly gathered from the leftover stock of an Estonian car interior manufacturer, collected during a previous internship. The goal was to create an item that is not only visually and functionally cohesive but also resource-efficient and environmentally conscious. As a designer, I aim to practice circular design and am beginning formal study in this field. My graduation project serves as an experiment in what can be created using such waste materials, while analyzing the potential to develop similar products that fully adhere to circular design principles. The key element of the bag is the aluminum base, which has been laser-cut and formed using a bending press. Aluminum is infinitely recyclable without loss of its properties (European Aluminium, 2024), aligning with design values that prioritize longevity and recyclability. The side panels of the bag are made from leftover automotive seat cover materials: leather panels with quilting, backed with foam. These materials were originally designated for disposal due to visual imperfections in the leather but found new purpose in the bag's construction. The interior lining of the side panels is made from Alcantara-like fabric, sourced from roof lining production waste. The shoulder strap is made from a recycled car seatbelt, which matched the design measurements precisely, leaving no surplus. For the front and back panels, I opted to use chrome-tanned leather from an accessories department. Although not recycled, this was necessary to achieve aesthetic consistency. The panels are reinforced from the inside with stiff cardboard and are attached to the base with bolts, allowing them to be replaced or removed if needed. In future development, the front and back panels could be made from Samelin’s shoe sole production waste, offering a more durable and circular alternative. The entire bag follows modular design principles. The side, front, and back panels are attached to the aluminum base using bolts and nuts, allowing for replacement based on the user’s needs. Additionally, the sides and bottom include elastic cord systems for practical storage options — for instance, securing outerwear or small items. The inner lining of the bag is made from the interior mesh of unusable motocross pants. It attaches to the main panels with hook-and-loop fasteners, making it easy to remove. The bag opening can be adjusted using a fastening mechanism taken from motocross pants. Analysis: The resulting prototype is an exploratory experiment aimed at discovering alternative approaches to designing motorsport-related accessories. The modular shoulder bag at the center of this work is not a final product, but rather a process-based approach that allows for testing the principles of sustainability, reparability, and user-friendliness. The design offers a fresh perspective for the field, highlighting the importance of slow consumption. Through this prototype, there is potential to develop customizable, durable, and audience-specific items that support the formation of more conscious and sustainable design practices. Sources used: European Aluminium. 2024. Recycling. (Accessed May 11, 2025) https://european-aluminium.eu/projets/recycling/