Craft Focus - Jun/Jul (Issue 73)

67 PROFILE What is Sugru? Sugru is the world’s first family-safe mouldable glue. It can be formed into any shape and sticks to most materials. The adhesive is strong when set and turns into a soft-touch silicone rubber, making it a favourite tool for designers, crafters and makers. Tell us a little about the team behind the product. Sugru was invented by Irish designer, entrepreneur and eco- crusader Jane Ní Dhulchaointigh while she was studying product design at the Royal College of Art in 2003. She chose to develop something that would help people fix, improve and reimagine stuff they already owned. How was Sugru developed? Jane did a few random experiments playing around with silicone polymers and sawdust, and by using up leftover materials created a curious substance that looked like wood but bounced like a ping- pong ball. After using the first version of Sugru to fix and improve things around her home, she knew she was onto something. Jane gathered a team of silicone specialists and after lots of love, late nights and science, the first packs of Sugru were sent out in December 2009. The following year TIME magazine listed the product as one of the top 50 inventions of 2010 and in 2018, Jane and the team won the European Inventor Award for small and medium enterprises. What makes the product different to other adhesives? Sugru is no ordinary glue. Its advanced silicone technology surpasses liquid versions, tapes, screws and nails on every level, and it has some pretty impressive properties. Out of the pack it’s soft to touch, just like Play- Doh. The user has around 30 to 45 minutes to fix, build and create, which is enough time to adjust and get things just right. It will form a strong bond with lots of materials including metal, glass, wood, ceramics, most plastics and even fabrics. It’s easy to use and, unlike many drippy glues, doesn’t make a mess. Once cured, the adhesive is waterproof, temperature- resistant, dishwasher-proof, shock-resistant, UV-stable, electrically insulating (under 24 volts) and totally removable. It’s available in 10 playful colours and sold as a three-pack, eight-pack or craft kit. Why should craft retailers be stocking the product? All dealers in the market are searching for new business opportunities, with many aiming to develop sustainable applications to support ecological strategies. Moreover, all of them need a better differentiation to the competition. Sugru is an exciting innovation that satisfies end-users and supports resellers to achieve these targets. It enables retailers to generate incremental business and exploit the value of existing adhesive categories. The glue has thousands of different applications, which on one hand enable the consumer to save money by repairing objects, and on the other, provide a variety of ways to customise personal objects. Based on that, Sugru is a perfect fit for retailer target groups. Do you exhibit at any trade shows? We attended Creativeworld in Frankfurt at the beginning of this year and will also be presenting the product at the DIY Summit in Dublin in June. How can retailers become a stockist? In the UK, Ireland and USA, we serve and support retailers directly. In many other countries across the world, we work together with our selected distribution partners. Get in touch with our sales executive, Gabor Markus (gabormarkus@sugru. com), for more information. +44 (0)20 7998 0022 sugru.com Breaking the mould Falk Butterwegge, chief commercial officer at Sugru, reveals what the revolutionary adhesive offers for crafters