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Tag Archives: handmade
Interview: Peita Gardiman of Ethikl
Over the last few years the internet has seen a sudden rise in the popularity of online marketplaces showcasing a wide range of wares created by some very talented independent artists. Earlier this year Ethikl entered the mix, offering consumers a unique shopping experience dedicated to selling handmade, upcycled, fair trade & ethical products.
Peita Gardiman is the bright spark behind Ethikl. Peita grew up travelling around the “wild” parts of Australia, and found of all the places she visited, she was particularly drawn to the outback studios and markets where local artisans were recreating discarded objects into special pieces of art. After having children, she made a conscious decision to become a more ethical consumer, and decided to combine her interest with her marketing skills, and launched Ethikl.
Since Ethikl launched in January this year, it has grown to include over 400 brands covering a broad range of products including jewellery, homewares, and stationery through to food and drink, clothing and toys. Whilst the majority of brands are Australian based, Ethikl is an international ethical marketplace, where any independent producer can showcase their ethical and fairtrade creations!
It is well worth popping over to Ethikl for a peek – to both marvel at the creativity behind many of the designs, and to support the wonderful artists who are helping us to consume more ethically.!
State of Green spoke to Ethikl founder Peita Gardiman who kindly shared with us a little insight into the creation and workings of Ethikl!
What inspired you to launch Ethikl? Ethikl is an online Market supporting handmade, upcycled, fair trade & ethical products made by independent producers. I started Ethikl as a result of my own personal journey to become a conscious consumer following a realisation that the products I was using around my home and family were toxic and not coming from trustworthy sources, and that clever marketing is leading us to believe that we should consume more than we really need to. I started to adopt a new way of thinking… where are the things coming from that I am using, and who am I buying them from? Where is it going to go when I’m done with it? How can I use things that already exist instead of asking the planet to continually contribute more resources?
Ethical consumerism is all about exercising the power of your money to drive forward positive change and align your personal values with your buying decisions. By working together we can eliminate waste, reduce pollution, and curb overseas mass production. I’m confident this can be made a reality by the creative use of the Internet. It’s not just the idea of buying ‘stuff’, but sharing values and understanding the impact we’re all having on people and the planet that is the Ethikl’s goal. It’s taking the principles of eBay and recreating it – I call it eBay with soul.
How does the Ethikl marketplace work? Ethikl is an online market where you can buy and sell natural, handmade and organic products created by artisans. Ethikl promotes eco friendly producers and provides them with the means to jump from local markets to virtual store shelves. Small artisan sellers on the Ethikl marketplace can set up virtual storefronts to showcase their creations. They can upload their profile and link to their blog, Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites, enabling them to interact with customers and providing a way for buyers to confidently make positive buying decisions that favour ethical products, be they fair trade, cruelty free, organic, recycled, handmade
It all works together so effortlessly. Talented artists create beautiful, useful, everyday items from recycled materials employing low-waste, low polluting and morally just processes. These items are sold individually through Ethikl, thus removing the wastes of excess inventory and the cost of bricks and mortar storefronts. The public benefits by getting unique, handmade items that support individual entrepreneurs and the earth.
What are your major challenges operating Ethikl? The never-ending work hours and lost sleep with a young family can be a challenge along with having loads ideas for ethikl and yet not enough hours in the day to realize them. It can take such a long time to go from having an idea to actually using technology to produce the result. I want it all to happen yesterday!
What has been your major achievement in 2010? I have met many people all around Australia and have taken great delight in this process of discovery. I love meeting and inviting artisans to open a studio on ethikl and then I personally get excited about every single sale for they make, I feel proud to bring exposure to these brilliant designers.
It has been a huge buzz knowing that people are engaging with my idea when major publications contact me to do an interview and I am continually excited by the potential of ethical consumerism and my idea to create real change in the world. We are just about to celebrate our 1st Birthday and that in itself is a huge achievement!
What are your dreams for Ethikl in the next 12 months? Wow – where to start!…The dream is to grow ethikl into an international aggregated platform where sellers who are doing great work all around the world can sell in one place. We plan to develop a thriving community where consumers are actively aware of the ethical implications of their purchasing decisions and we aim to have consumers engage in meaningful dialogue around the values and implications of various forms of ethical purchasing. Would love to start having meetups and forums, we will be attending markets and expos…ooh! Just thinking about all the possibilities makes me exited!!
What is your easy eco living tip? Choose handmade and local over mass produced
Thanks Peita – We wish you all the best and Happy First Birthday!
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Posted in eco brands, gifts, jewellery
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Interview: Jessica Van Den of Epheriell
Jessica Van Den doesn’t just dream about what she could do or be – instead she puts it into action. Jessica boasts a list of skills as long as your arm plus a bit more. First trained as a research scientist, Jessica then went on to become a primary school teacher, work in a museum and manage a maths and english tuition centre. She then discovered she loved crafting, completed a silversmith course and launched Epheriell, a jewellery design business in 2008.
Jessica uses 100% recycled and reclaimed silver in all her designs.
It is not surprising that in addition to jewellery design, Jessica has other projects on the boil. She has just launched the Epheriell Designs Bazaar, a webstore showcasing Australian and international handmade and vintage crafts. In October she will also launch Bespoke Zine (above), a magazine devoted to all things handmade, art, craft, photography, vintage, upcycling and more!
What inspired you to start jewellery design/launch Epheriell? Well, my move into the craft world was totally unexpected! I was working in education, after also studying science at university. In 2008 my then-boyfriend (now husband) and I went to Fiji. While we were there, we befriended a family – and when we all left the mother gave me a novel she’d just finished. I don’t remember what it was called, but it was all about a woman who owned a yarn store in New York. It inspired me to try knitting again… and it all went from there. I soon discovered jewellery, and then took a silversmithing course… and I found my passion!
As for my blog – well, I’d been blogging elsewhere, and it just seemed a natural step to start a blog about my new passion – hence EpheriellDesigns.com was born!
Who/What are your major influences? My major influences in general are the amazing group of crafty friends I’ve made online and offline since I began on this journey. When it comes to my jewellery in particular, my style has evolved to be very sleek, with clean lines and a minimalist touch. I don’t quite know where I get my ideas – usually something will just come to me, or I’ll sketch and play with ideas until something seems right.
What are your most popular pieces? Oh, definitely my range of Urban Eco Earrings – my best seller is definitely my ‘Entwined’ earrings . I think it’s because they are fun, attractive, affordable, and unique! They’re also super-comfortable. In fact, I have a lot of customers who are slowly building up a collection of my Urban Eco Earrings – they fall in love with them!
What have been your major challenges in running your business? For me – the time to do everything I want to do! I have so many ideas and projects that I want to bring to life, but only so many hours in the day. Not only do I run my jewellery business, I also have 2 blogs, have written an e-book, and I’m close to launching the first Issue of *bespoke* – a zine by the handmade community: for the handmade community. I’m envisioning that time will become more of a challenge over time as my business grows – but it’s certainly teaching me to get much more organized!
You have your finger in a few pies – Describe what a typical day involves for you? Well, currently I work all day, every day, with the occasional ½ day off here and there. I’m a night-owl, so I tend to wake up around 9, and hop straight onto my computer – usually I’ll do this in bed, with my laptop, and my husband Nick will bring me a cup of tea. During this time, I’ll respond to any urgent e-mails; re-list items that have sold and send thank-you’s to my customers; check my blogs for stats and comments, catch up with my online friends on twitter and forums; and write down any orders that have come in.
If I have jewellery orders to make, I’ll then start work around 10:30 or so, and work through until all the orders are complete. I generally hop on the laptop briefly every hour or so to keep on top of e-mails, and give my fingers a rest from filing, sanding, polishing, bending and engraving!
I’ll pack my orders and drive to the post-office by about 4pm, and then come home, have dinner, and get back on the computer until bedtime. I usually try to have at least an hour or so off in the evening to just hang out with Nick, watch some DVD’s or read a bit of my latest SF novel (I’ve always been a sucker for a good science fiction story!). I head to bed around 12 or so. I also usually try to devote most of one day on the weekend to working on and scheduling blog posts, when my inbox is a little quieter!
It’s true what they say – running your own business will see you working the most you ever have! But luckily much of my work is play for me, too.
How does Epheriell endeavour to tread a little lighter on the planet? Well, when I started working with silver, I did some investigating into where to find recycled silver, because I wanted my jewellery to be a bit more eco-friendly. I was lucky to find a great supplier of 100% recycled sterling silver, and the vast majority of the sterling I use is completely reclaimed from silver scrap and industrial uses. I love the fact that I can make and offer designs that contribute to the recycling and reusing ethos!
Where can we find your designs? I sell mostly online, from my website and Etsy . My work is also stocked in a few other places online, and I’m looking to offer my jewellery through a few select boutiques in the near future. I do the occasional market, but at the moment I’m too busy to build up the stock I need for a market!
What can we expect to see from Epheriell in the future? I’m currently working on a small Spring Bridal collection featuring sterling silver and white coin pearls, so keep an eye out for that! Otherwise, I will be working on expanding my range of eco-friendly sterling silver designs!
And don’t forget to keep an eye out for the launch of Bespoke in October!
Posted in eco design, gifts, Interviews, sustainable fashion
4 Comments
7 Statements Interview: Blue Ginger Designs
Blue Ginger Designs stand at the Stitches & Craft Show 2010
Blue Ginger Designs first caught my eye whilst exploring in.cube8r in Collingwood earlier this year, so it was a pleasant surprise to meet the creator behind the brand when I visited the Stitches & Craft Show a few weeks ago. Apart from being yet another lovely textile designer, Kylie Bickerdike knows how to create a beautiful product with a handmade edge. From purses to fridge magnets, tea-towels to men’s ties and more, Kylie has created an eye catching range of homewares printed on natural fibres (she uses hemp, organic cotton & pure linen).
Kylie professionally trained in Environmental Science and Technology, but it was her experience growing up sewing and turning her hand to a bit of dressmaking that pointed her in another direction. Two years ago Kylie decided to combine interests, and build a brand that used environmentally conscious textiles upon which she hand screen prints graphic images which she draws from her natural surrounds.
Kylie shared with us a little more about her business in our Seven Statements Interview:
1) I started my business because …….. I wanted to work from home and work on something I love. I have found the more hours I spend on this now the more ideas that are developing and my products and ideas are slowly evolving. I get to deal direct with my customers instead of being the third person, and know exactly what they want and what’s going on.
2) The best part of my job is ….. when I have created a new product that looks even better than my last and people love it! Makes me feel happy.
3) My biggest challenge is ……. finding motivation when I’m working from home. Also winters hard cos it’s hard to get up and I have no one expecting me at work at a particular time.
4) My typical day involves ……. a big breaky. Then blogging and emails in the morning. If I need to print I usually do this on one day and then sew everything the next. Cutting out patterns takes the longest part of my day. I usually like to cut and print a supply of business cards and swing tags too (yes I print and cut everything myself)…. on a separate day. Stamp a pile of my packaging with my logo… which I’ll be doing today.
5) I relax by ….. playing tennis! Its great for me to get out of the house and there’s a gym there to work on my cardio. Most of my work involves sitting. I enjoy knitting on the couch too.
6) I tread a little lighter on the environment by …. Using environmentally friendly fabrics when making my products. I like to use hemp, organic cottons or linen (which I love the most cos of its feel). I also use waterbased environmentally friendly inks for printing.
7) In the next year I hope to …. Start a new craft market here in my small town of Buninyong to help support other small businesses like myself to have a market close to home, also reducing my carbon footprint so no need for travel!
State of Green is VERY happy to be a new stockist of Blue Ginger products – Head on over for a peek!
Posted in eco brands, eco design, eco living, Interviews
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