Zero Waste: Sold Out!

Last summer we designed Zero Waste (in collaboration with our dear friend Mika Carmichael) in response to American Design Club's call for concepts for Areaware's Design To Go.

They were looking for products that encompassed the idea of travel. We thought a bag would be a great response to that - especially one that you could add your own designs to over time. We envisioned people adding notes, maps, and other info that they collected in their everyday travel.

The final pattern for Zero Waste was made to utilize a single sheet of HDPE (leftovers from our Ty and Ty D.I.Y. Edition shower curtains) and allows for zero cutting waste, hence the name.

We didn't put much effort into spreading the word on the bag after Design To Go, but the word definitely got out and as of today we are totally sold out! Thanks so much to Commerce With A Conscience, NOTCOT, Better Living Through Design, What The Cool, Visual Therapy, and Green By Design for the recent posts.

And YES, we are working on Zero Waste 2.0!

Chi-Chi joins Sololá in our shop!

Our Chi-Chi necklaces, made in collaboration with artisans in Guatemala, are finally up in our shop!! They join our Sololá purses also made in Guatemala from upcycled vintage textiles.

To read/see more about Chi-Chi and Sololá, check out our long overdue press release and/or download some high-res images here.

Above is Chi-Chi short multi cluster. Below is Chi-Chi long green cluster, Sololá small multi, and Sololá large multi.

Sololá is here!!

In 2006, while still students at RISD, James, Brit and I were part of an amazing wintersession course taught by Mimi Robinson called Bridging Cultures Through Design. Working with artisan communities in Guatemala, we developed a series of textiles goods celebrating Guatemalan textile traditions. The products went to market and continue to support sustainable incomes for those artisan groups that we collaborated with.

We are excited to now be offering one of the designs from that collaboration, called Sololá, in the Grain Shop! Here is the official description:

Sololá celebrates the artistry of Guatemalan women weavers. Each purse upcycles a vintage huipil (traditional women's blouse woven on the backstrap loom) to create an individual statement. Turned inside-out, the huipils are an explosion of color and handwork. Each purse is assembled by Guatemalan artisans in Antigua from textiles sourced at the famous Chichicastenango Market.

Sololá will be available in two sizes at $38 and $60. Each purse is made in Antigua, Guatemala and is totally unique.

New designs in the Grain shop!

If you haven't been to the Grain shop in a while, it is worth a visit. We added two new pieces today: Cheri and Zero Waste.

Both of these designs are making their debut in the American Design Club section of the 'Design To Go' pop-up shop in New York tonight. Both will be available for purchase there until September 26th. If you aren't in New York, you can purchase from Grain shop directly. As with all our designs, wholesale/trade prices are available along with custom orders by emailing us directly here.

Thanks to all who have supported the shop thus far! Look forward to more soon!