Sandra Junele is an award-winning textile artist based in Dundee, Scotland. She studied interior design (diploma, Latvia 2014) and textiles (BA hons, Duncan Jordanstone 2022). Her work is known for its minimalist design, tactile quality and focus on interior applications. She creates large wall panel installations and custom-moulded shapes made from shredded recycled yarn waste mixed with handmade plant-based glue.
Junele’s passion for recycling began as a child in Latvia, where she watched her grandfather make furniture from scrap wood. This early experience sparked her interest in finding ways to repurpose materials that would otherwise go to landfill. Today she specialises in working with yarn waste, turning what was once rubbish into art.
Art brings joy and beauty to our lives, but it can also raise awareness about important issues, such as sustainability. By using recycled materials, she aims to inspire others to think more creatively about reducing their impact on the environment. Yarn waste is a specific problem, but it is in tackling these issues one at a time, with creativity and determination, that we can move towards a less wasteful future.
Junele has exhibited at the New Designers show (London, 2022), where she won the Hallmark Connection Award. She also won the Brora Campaign for Wool award 2020 (the brand made a special edition jumper from her design), and a V&A Dundee design competition (her work was exhibited alongside the Mary Quant exhibition). She has been featured in publications such as Interiors Monthly, The Skinny and Let’s Knit