A LITTLE ABOUT ME...
Nila Rezaei is an award-winning Iranian–Australian designer, educator, and co-founder of RK Collective, a Sydney-based design and innovation studio shaping sustainable products, circular systems, and material futures for social and environmental impact.
Her practice sits at the intersection of strategic product design, material innovation, and cultural storytelling, exploring how design can restore relationships between people, place, and planet. She partners with forward-thinking organisations and communities to bring circularity and sustainability goals to life through evidence-based frameworks and world-class product development expertise.
Nila’s primary goal is to design outcomes that not only fulfill utilitarian needs but also create delightful experiences that connect with users on an emotional level, leaving a lasting positive social and environmental impact. Her work spans consumer goods, mobility, packaging, civic infrastructure, spatial design and civic infrastructure, translating complex environmental and cultural challenges into tangible outcomes. Through projects like Crafted Liberation, Nila demonstrates how well-crafted product systems and symbolic materials can create regenerative and inclusive change.
Nila began her career at Vert Design Studio, one of Sydney’s leading environmentally conscious consultancies, working with clients including Transport for NSW, PWC, and Schneider Electric. She later joined Zoomo as Hardware Product Design Lead, developing equitable micro-mobility product-as-service solutions, and Maynard Design, where she designed public-space systems that bring clarity to complex environments. These experiences shaped her belief that design must operate beyond aesthetics, as a tool for ethics, empathy, and systemic transformation.
Nila has gained international recognition for its impact-driven work, showcased at Milan Design Week, Dutch Design Week, Berlin Design Week, the Australian Design Centre, the IKEA Museum and more. Her projects, including the acclaimed Crafted Liberation, demonstrate how design can be a catalyst for dignity, empowerment, and systemic change. She is also a regular speaker at national and international conferences, sharing insights on circularity, social impact, and design for the common good.
Beyond her studio practice, Nila is deeply engaged in shaping the future of design. She serves as Chair of the Design Institute of Australia (NSW Council), Ambassador for Good Design Australia, lecturer at UNSW Art & Design, and co-founder of IDX SYD, a platform strengthening dialogue and visibility within Australia’s industrial design community.
Guided by the belief that design is an active force for good, Nila continues to lead projects that align innovation with ethics and help shape a more inclusive, regenerative future.
Awards & Appointments
2025 - Seoul Design Awards - Winner of the Best of the Best - Crafted Liberation
2025 - Good Design Australia - Ambassador - Product Design Category
2024 - University of New South Wales - Academic Program Review (APR) Panel - Honours Programme Industry Advisor
2024 - Good Design Australia - Appointed Jury Member - Product Design Category
2024 - Good Design Award - Design for Social Impact - Crafted Liberation
2023 - Good Design Award - Product Design (Automotive and Transport) - ZOOMO CARGO BOX
2022 - Industrial Design Xchange Sydney (IDX SYD) - Co-Founder and Community Organiser
2022 - Design Institution of Australia (DIA) - Appointed Deputy Chair of NSW Council
2022 - Good Design Award - Best in Class Product Design (Consumer Electronics) - SLITE: THE WORLD’S MOST PORTABLE LIGHT FOR CREATORS
2022 - Good Design Award - Product Design (Automotive and Transport) - ZOOMO One E-Bike
2021 - Good Design Award - Gold Product Design (Sport and Lifestyle) - Yenesthae Striking Cell
2020 - Good Design Award - Gold Product Design (Furniture and Lighting) - Light Soy
2017 - DIA Graduate of the year award (GOTYA) - object design category
2016 - UNSW Dean’s List Award for Academic Excellence
2016 - The Lighting Society, LsiDA (Light Sculpture Installation Design Award) - shortlisted
2016 - Kudos Emerging Artist and Designer Award - Finalist
Exhibitions, Publications, Talks
2025-2026 - ‘Trailblazers - Design Her Way’ @ IKEA Museum - Almhült, Sweden
2025 - Published Article in ‘Design for All’ Journal October 2025 Vol-20 No-10 20:20 - Celebrating Women Designing Design, Part III Continuity ( ISSN 2582-8304)
2025 - ‘Common Sense’ at Berlin Design Week - Berlin, Germany
2025 - Published Essay on Design Observer Online Platform: ‘Dear Mother: I made us a seat’
2025 - Munich Creative Business Week (MCBW) Keynote Speaker : How to design Vibrant Communities - Munich, Germany
2025 - Superfast: CEAD Forum 2025 Panel Speaker @ Manly Art Gallery - Sydney, Australia
2024-2025 - ‘Crafted Liberation’ @ Australian Design Centre - Sydney, Australia
2024 - ‘State of Design Nation’ Speaker @ Sydney Design Thinking (SDT) Meet up Hosted by Macquarie Bank- Sydney, Australia
2024 - Indonesian Contemporary Art & Design ICAD14 - Jakarta, Indonesia
2024 - ‘Crafted Liberation’ at Northern Beaches Environmental Art and Design Prize 2024 - Finalist
2024 - UpRising ‘Futures Nows’ - Design Industry speaker on behalf of Industrial Design Xchange Sydney IDX SYD
2024 - 'SHAPE Seminar' Design Masterclass, NSW Education Standards Authority - Sydney, Australia
2024 - 'Creative Odyssey: Muses, Motivation, Concepts to Creation' Panelist on International Women’s Day
2023 - 'Crafted Liberation: An Exhibition By Women of Iran' at Dutch Design Week 23’ - Eindhoven, Netherlands
2023 - 'Circular Sydney - Chapter on Circular Design’ Published By Re.Co - Sydney, Australia
2023 - ‘Powerhouse Late: Industrial Design’ by Industrial Design Xchange IDX SYD - Sydney, Australia
2023 - 'Mindful Materiality' Panel Moderator as part of Sydney Design 2023 - Sydney, Australia
2023 - 'SHAPE Seminar' Masterclass at Powerhouse Museum, Department of Education - Sydney, Australia
2022 - 'SHAPE Seminar' Masterclass at Powerhouse Museum, Department of Education - Sydney, Australia
2018 - 'Revive the Reef' for Qantas Future Planet, an interactive installation for Vivid Sydney - Australia
2017 - 'Age of Man' at Ventura Lambrate, Milan Design Week - Italy
2016 - 'Designing Bright Futures' exhibition at Australian Design Centre - Sydney, Australia
2016 - 'Interactive Media Showcase' for Sydney Design 2016 - Australia
2016 - 'Kudos' Emerging Artist and Designer annual showcase - Australia
2016 - 'Exterminia', an interactive installation for Vivid Sydney - Australia
2016 - 'I Love You', an interactive installation for Vivid Sydney - Australia
2015 - 'Designed By', a curated show of student works at UNSW Art and Design - Australia