Every time I sit down to research designs that houseplant lovers might like, I keep in mind a list of criteria that the product should meet.
And even for a short 400-word post, I drill down as deep as I can to uncover all the details that might not be obvious at first glance.
I once scrapped a whole post just as I was getting ready to hit “Publish” when I realized that the extremely cool-looking planters I had written about were actually made in a factory in China. There were no guarantees of fair trade or fair work conditions. But the product specifications were buried so deep down in the recesses of the designer’s website, that it was impossible to notice them.
Well, almost impossible.
I was even more disappointed to find that same product all over Pinterest and on other sustainable design websites.
It shouldn’t be this hard to find more information what we’re buying. It shouldn’t be this hard to find out who made it and where. And this is especially true when we’re talking about design studios that attach hefty price tags to their products.
An informed buyer is an empowered buyer, and more and more millennials are making the choice to cast a vote with every purchase they make. A vote for what they want to see more of in the world.
What I want to see more of are products that are sustainably-made by artisans who are fairly compensated for their work. Products that are created by designers who understand that sustainability is no longer a choice, but a necessity.
That’s the kind of product I want to show you today.
This adorable rope hanging planter from Closed Mondays ticks all the boxes.
Sustainable material. Slow creation process. Hand-made in the United States. Reasonably priced.
The colorful rope planters are made in the Closed Mondays studio in Brooklyn, New York, by artisans who receive fair wages. And there’s one more thing that sets them apart that I haven’t really found anywhere else: the studio sells their “mistakes.” A blotch of paint here, a loose thread there – these aren’t reasons why we should discard perfectly good products.
The Closed Mondays studio was founded by Bekka Palmer, a designer and photographer on a mission against fast fashion and poor working conditions. When she was six years old, Bekka learned how to sew from her grandmother, and she continued to be influenced by the craftiness and attention to detail of her parents.
For more of Bekka Palmer’s projects >> this way
All images via Closed Mondays
