Nicole McLaughlin
Interview (2022)
We would like to start with your origin and background, but first, could you give us a brief introduction about yourself and your recent activities?My name is Nicole McLaughlin. I’m a designer that focuses on sustainability through upcycling. Recently, I’ve spoken to students at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Seattle in Washington, and at the Princeton-led Design Nation Conference.
You are from New Jersey, what kind of environment did you grow up in as a child? Did you like drawing and making things from an early age?I grew up exploring the outdoors and climbing and enjoyed making things from an early age. My mother is an interior designer, my father is a carpenter, and my grandfather was an engineer, so he let me hang out in his workshop. I made everything from homemade Barbie clothes to casts made out of glue and paper towels as a kid. I’m still creating; it’s just evolved.