Keeping Tabs: Nicole McLaughlin, Upcycling Designer & Artist

If you scroll through Nicole McLaughlin's Instagram, you know that the playful nature of her work is palpable: shorts made out of Haribo gummy candy wrappers, bra tops made out of Gameboys, glasses made out of tiny tennis rackets, and more. Some of her work is functional design on full display—a charcuterie board attached to a bike and shorts with countless pockets, for example—while some of it is just fun for the sake of being fun. Now, her latest endeavor is both functional and fun. McLaughlin is the star of UGG's stripped down, low-profile Deconstructed collection campaign, as well as the designer of a canvas tool belt included in the collection's seeding kit—a piece that puts her knack for blurring the line between utility and design on full display.

To an outsider, it might seem like McLaughlin is constantly conceptualizing and creating—but even the most creative and productive of minds need to unwind with a bit of online shopping and reality TV at the end of the day. Ahead, we caught up with Nicole McLaughlin about what she consumes and browses during her leisure time.