Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Joel Edmondson: Socially Responsible Design: Infusing The Design Process To Artisan Products

Many furniture and apparel brands are marketing products in the marketplace as "socially responsible" and "fair trade", using celebrity curators to group them under a global umbrella. Most notably, CB2's one-of-a-finds are original works created in collaboration with passionate artisans from around the world. Each product is made in limited quantities with variances indicative of hand-made artisanal products. This marketing strategy is in response to the emerging customer trend in which consumers want to see the hand of the maker in the products they purchase.

I recently spoke to Jeannie Kim of Turtle SF, LLC, a new startup that brings socially conscious designer products crafted by local artisans to the marketplace. Artisans in areas in which animal habitats are threatened by human cohabitants make the products that are produced and sold through her company. The proceeds from the sales of the items are then donated to protect the wildlife.

One of the companies that Turtle SF distributes is Thailand-based design firm Ango, who showed a range of lights made by local artisans at 100% Design London this year. Ango was founded in 2003 by Architectural Association graduate Angus Hutcheson. The lights are made from a range of materials including silk worm cocoons, rattan and mulberry tree bark. The cocoon shades are a dramatic way to diffuse light with a warm amber glow.

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