About us

Our mission is to empower positive change by addressing the most pressing challenges facing our people and our planet.

Nila Rezaei working on Crafted Liberation.

Driven by a shared passion for design and social impact, Nila Rezaei and Christopher Krainer founded RK Collective in 2023, in Sydney, Australia. Together, we’ve worked across a variety of industries, including consumer goods, medical devices, public art, mobility, solar technology and material innovation.

Our diverse backgrounds give RK Collective its unique edge. Nila, an award-winning Iranian-Australian designer, brings deep expertise in product design, sustainability and the circular economy. Nila’s design moves beyond utilitarian needs, evoking emotional connection and thoughtful discourse. Christopher complements this with his experience in innovation management, project leadership and entrepreneurship.

Our first initiative, Crafted Liberation, exemplifies our vision. This participatory, non-profit project uses material innovation and storytelling to celebrate Iranian women's collective action and resilience. It garnered international attention at Dutch Design Week and won an Australian Good Design Award, highlighting the potential of design to inspire change.

See more of Nila's work at nilarezaei.com.au

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Nila Rezaei

Awards & appointments

Our approach

Our network of professionals bring their expertise, experience, and connections needed to deliver holistic solutions tailored to the needs of our stakeholders.

RK Collective operates as a collaborative group of professionals who bring their expertise to projects as needed. Our work is driven by a commitment to equity, inclusion, and sustainability. We strive to develop solutions that balance cultural relevance, ecological sustainability and commercial viability.

  • Manufacturers
  • Material scientists
  • Researchers
  • Business strategist
  • Technologists
  • Designers
  • Artists
  • Engineers
  • Project managers
  • Logistics
  • Regulators
  • IP specialists
  • Manufacturers
  • Material scientists
  • Researchers
  • Business strategist
  • Project managers
  • Logistics
  • Technologists
  • Designers
  • Artists
  • Engineers
  • Regulators
  • IP specialists

Our principles

We apply design principles that focus on collaboration, transformation and viable impact.

Design collaboratively

We put the people at the center of whatever we are doing. We co-design for the best outcomes and collaborate with the most committed minds.

Question & reframe

We challenge the business-as-usual mode of being and consuming. We interrogate, remove biases, untangle complexity, take a holistic view and reframe challenges into opportunities.

Act ethical

We partner with clients who put people and planet first and strive to create a more equitable society and regenerative future.

Work iteratively

We work with time boxed sprints to deliver predictable and incremental value and outcomes, gradually resolve uncertainty and therefore reduce overall risk.

Think entrepreneurial

We understand that lasting impact must make economical sense and big change starts with small steps. We wear our business hat when working out cost analysis, pricing models and business models and use cost constraints to our advantage.

Committed to making an impact? Let’s chat about your project.

Contact Us

“RK Collective’s collaborative approach and deep understanding of design and innovation were instrumental in bringing our project to life. ”

Danling Xiao, Co-founder, ReCo Digital

“Inclusive and environmentally-conscious design are crucial to our business. Working with Nila, we know we are in safe hands. She has managed the challenges of meaningful consultation and co-design admirably”

Sophie Rhys, Founder, FABB

“From the outset, RK Collective understood our vision and goals, and brought ideas that elevated the design without compromising practicality.”

Angus Ware, Founder, Heliograf

“Every now and again you come across someone that just ‘oozes’ design. Nila is one of those people. A true designer, maker, mentor and leader - who is not afraid to get her hands dirty. We highly recommend Nila and her team.”

Kate Pleban, Director, Maynard