ARTISAN SUMMIT JULY 18-22 2014 buildanest.org

NEST
A R T I S A N S U M M I T J U LY 1 8 - 2 2 2 0 1 4
buildanest.org
1
NEST
2 THE NEST ARTISAN SUMMIT
3 A R T I S A N PA R T N E R S
AFRICA
Z I YA I N N A I R O B I , K E N YA
B AO B A B B AT I K I N M A L K E R N S , S W A Z I L A N D
GONE RURAL IN MALKERNS, SWAZILAND
ROSECRAFT IN MALKERNS, SWAZILAND
AMERICA
COLECTIVO 1050º IN OAXACA, MEXICO
ALABAMA CHANIN IN ALABAMA, USA
R A N C H L A N D S I N CO LO R A D O, U S A
ASIA
LOOM TO LUXURY IN VARANASI, INDIA
B AT I K KO M A R I N W E ST J AVA , I N D O N E S I A
MANO PRODUCTIONS IN BALI, INDONESIA
FA S H I O N 4 F R E E D O M I N H U E , V I E T N A M
P R E S E N T E D I N PA R T N E R S H I P W I T H
T H E C O R D E S F A M I LY F O U N D A T I O N &
T H E S W E D I S H P O S T C O D E L O T T E R Y C U LT U R E F O U N D A T I O N
NEST
MISSION
Nest is partnering with the world’s most promising artisans to build sustainable businesses
within the competitive landscape of today’s global economy. Simultaneously, Nest is helping artisans to transfor m their communities through the alleviation of poverty, empowerment of women and promotion of peace.
PRINCIPLES
A participatory approach: Taking a participatory approach to change, Nest projects
are uniquely hands-on from inception through completion, beginning with a rigorous
needs appraisal and closing with the for mation of enduring industry partnerships.
Craft as a vehicle for social change: Nest has identified craft as a means to solve
some of the greatest global issues we face today. Believing in the power of the private sector not only to fuel our global economy, but to personally enrich and transfor m
at the community level too, Nest builds concrete social objectives into every project it
undertakes. Nest’s core social endeavors seek to empower women, to promote peace and
to alleviate poverty.
Ripple ef fect impact: Treating every artisan as not just an individual, but a family provider and community leader too, Nest maximizes its impact through the powerful ripple
effect that job creation has been proven to engender time after time. Nest estimates an
additional 20 lives touched for every 1 Nest artisan employed.
NEST ARTISAN SUMMIT
The inaugural annual Nest Artisan Summit marks five days of training, lear ning and collaboration between seventeen artisan business leaders from around the world (including
Bali, India, Kenya, Mexico, Swaziland, West Java, Vietnam, Alabama, and Colorado) and
leading New York-based professionals of the fashion and design industry.
“Nest believes that the significant cultural barriers currently existing between
US-based retail brands and artisan businesses can only be broken down through
face-to-face dialogue and proactive collaboration.”
-- Nest Founder and Executive Director, Rebecca van Bergen
Through two intensive days of educational presentations and one-on-one working sessions
led by senior current or for mer employees of notable brands (including Maiyet, West
Elm, Nanette Lepore, Public School, and Alabama Chanin) who are donating their time
and expertise to Nest, the Nest Artisan Summit will ar m artisans with new skillsets and
first-hand insights into the key challenges and opportunities existing for artisans in the
moder n marketplace.
For Nest’s artisans, the Nest Artisan Summit represents a rare opportunity to grow their
businesses and improve the livelihoods of their employees and communities at home.
“I am excited to share my challenges and ethical viewpoint with the other artisans
from many different cultures. I have never left my country and wish to learn about
how things are done in America. These things I can take back to my country to
improve my business.” – Jitendra Kumar, T he Varanasi Project
Sharing Nest’s commitment to building sustainable solutions to global challenges,
the Swedish Postcode Lottery Culture Foundation and The Cordes Foundation,
through generous contributions, join Nest to make the Nest Artisan Summit possible.
NEST IN
N A I R O B I K E N YA
Z I YA
Ziya Kenya sources and works with East African artisans who design and produce
quality hand-crafted products for retail outlets using techniques and materials such
as brass, hor n, beadwork, leather, hand-woven fabrics and embroidery. Addressing
brand client challenges posed due to remote and scattered geography of artisan
businesses and lack of working English amongst artisan leaders, Ziya serves as an
organizing force across artisan entities while working closely with clients throughout the collection creation process. Ziya’s mission is to support small artisan businesses by offering them new retail opportunities while creating an accessible, well
managed production point for brands wanting to explore ethically sourced, handcrafted products from Africa.
In partnership with Ziya, Nest is supporting business growth, staffing and infrastructure that will further the business’ ability to create a unified framework for
Kenya’s diverse and dispersed artisan community. Via implementation of new workshops, upgraded tools, hands-on business training and moder n design direction, we
are together tur ning Ziya into a thriving hub for Kenyan artisans seeking market
access through this organizing force. In creating new opportunities for employment
and increased economic prosperity, we seek to help address the poverty and social
strife that Kenya’s rural communities face today.
NEST IN
MALKERNS SWAZILAND
B A O B A B B AT I K
With the aim of sharing her passion for batik and providing tools for sustainable economic and social solutions to local artisans and their communities, Els Hooft founded
Baobab Batik nearly 25 years ago. Dedicated to offering high quality handmade products with genuine customer service, Baoabab Batik is also committed to furthering the
personal development of its staff via social and creative workshops. These include life
skills training, HIV/AIDS awareness initiatives, First Aid training, skills development
and self- defense classes.
Nest has joined forces with Baobab Batik and four other artisan businesses in Swaziland
to provide their talented women artisans with a wide range of development initiatives
including provision of workshops in social media; business strategy; and branding and
packaging ideation. With the goal of raising brand awareness and increasing product appeal to the discer ning moder n consumer, Nest assisted in guiding the design of
revamped websites and product look books for each business. In October 2014, Nest
will partner with National Geographic photographer and Traveler of the Year, Alison
Wright, to lead a series of digital photography classes that will help Nest Swazi artisans
to market their crafts to moder n consumers, with both impact and professionalism.
NEST IN
MALKERNS SWAZILAND
GONE RURAL
Working with females from young women to gogos (grandmothers), Gone Rural employs
more than 750 artisans in 13 groups across Swaziland – often employing three generations of women from one family. By providing women with self-employed, home-based
work, Gone Rural empowers these artisans with the means to ear n a sustainable income,
while continuing to fulfill their traditional duties and to provide for family members and
other dependents. Gone Rural supplies woven products to hundreds of retailers around
the world, allowing the business to quadruple artisan incomes over the past several years.
Championing community enrichment and social amelioration, the business invests (at
least) 30% of annual profits into their community development organization, Gone Rural
boMake.
Nest has joined forces with Baobab Batik and four other artisan businesses in Swaziland
to provide their talented women artisans with a wide range of development initiatives
including provision of workshops in social media; business strategy; and branding and
packaging ideation. With the goal of raising brand awareness and increasing product
appeal to the discer ning moder n consumer, Nest assisted in guiding the design of
revamped websites and product look books for each business. In October 2014, Nest
will partner with National Geographic photographer and Traveler of the Year, Alison
Wright, to lead a series of digital photography classes that will help Nest Swazi artisans
to market their crafts to moder n consumers, with both impact and professionalism.
NEST IN
MALKERNS SWAZILAND
ROSECRAFT
What started as a small workshop in Swaziland is now the thriving business of Rosecraft,
which employs more than 40 rural women and distributes both locally and inter nationally. Seeking to empower its artisans, Rosecraft provides skill training and fair wages
to its employees, helping them to provide for their families. Through a combination of
contemporary design and traditional methods, Rosecraft artisans produce luxurious hand
woven and knitted accessories made from pure natural fibres of mohair, organically grown
cotton, bamboo, wool and silk. Characterized by African soul while drawing inspiration
from inter national trends, Rosecraft’s distinctive designs cater to discer ning consumers
who recognize and cherish the individuality of handmade items.
Nest has joined forces with Baobab Batik and four other artisan businesses in Swaziland
to provide their talented women artisans with a wide range of development initiatives
including provision of workshops in social media; business strategy; and branding and
packaging ideation. With the goal of raising brand awareness and increasing product
appeal to the discer ning moder n consumer, Nest assisted in guiding the design of
revamped websites and product look books for each business. In October 2014, Nest will
partner with National Geographic photographer and Traveler of the Year, Alison Wright,
to lead a series of digital photography classes that will help Nest Swazi artisans to market
their crafts to moder n consumers, with both impact and professionalism.
NEST IN
OAXACA MEXICO
1050° Ceramics Collective is comprised of a talented team of designers, artists and
artisans working together to make high-quality, unique and functional pottery in
Oaxaca, México. Created to meet the needs and tastes of the moder n world, and
inspired both by tradition and change, each resulting piece carries strong cultural
and aesthetic value. Har moniously rendered through a careful production process
and meticulous attention to detail, Colectivo 1050° represents beautiful and timeless pottery.
Building upon Oaxaca’s appreciation for its stunning natural landscape, Nest will
work side by side with Colectivo 1050°’s predominantly female collective as it continues to transfor m the mud and fiber of Oaxaca into objects of beauty, and a means
for peace and prosperity. Together, we will create a centralized, environmentallyfriendly workshop, community center, and museum, which will serve as a muchneeded forum for the exchange of contemporary design concepts. Nest will also
help refine Colectivo 1050°’s first-ever kiln fueled by restaurant waste oil rather
than wood: creating a production model that champions economic sustainability
while preserving the natural environment and promoting the health of its potters.
NEST IN
FLORENCE ALABAMA
ALABAMA CHANIN
Launching in 2000 with the creation of beautiful, hand-sewn gar ments made from 100%
organic cotton jersey fabric. Alabama Chanin retains the same intention and integrity
today that it did in its inception. Sustainably produced, heirloom pieces are hand-sewn
by talented artisan women hailing from Alabama and neighboring souther n states, who
together for m a moder n cottage industry that empowers each woman to run her own
business, in her own time, and in her own way. Made in the USA, Alabama Chanin
strives to celebrate and preserve unique traditions and crafting techniques, with a strong
commitment to community. The company is rooted in the tenets of the Slow Design
movement: good, clean, fair — which encourages designers, artists, and consumers to
create and utilize thoughtful products in a socially and environmentally responsible way.
Addressing the more than 425,000 textile and apparel jobs lost following the passage of
NAFTA, Nest will help to bring Alabama’s textile industry back to life by joining this
local leader of the Alabama textile tradition and pioneer of sustainable fashion. Alabama
Chanin is joining with Nest in the creation of its luxury atelier - housed in a for mer factory space once home to more than 650 textile workers. Bringing together design, craft,
manufacturing and DIY under one roof, Nest will help facilitate moder n skill training that
will empower local artisans to lear n the sustainable Alabama Chanin technique, while
implementing mentorships that help unite traditional design with moder n aesthetics.
NEST IN
COLORADO USA
RANCHLANDS
Ranchlands is a family ranching business that owns and manages cattle businesses
in the American West. Ranchlands blends traditional ranching methods with innovative new business models in order to further its productivity while conserving
the natural landscape and wildlife of Colorado. Ranchlands Mercantile is a newly
established branch of the Ranchlands family, which employs traditional cowboy
tools and saddle-making techniques to produce handmade leather goods, designed
on-site at the ranch. Supporting its motto: “working together to live with the land,”
Ranchlands Mercantile represents an innovative new means to diversify the Ranchlands business without depleting additional natural resources.
In partnership with Ranchlands, Nest will assist in the building and outfitting of
a new and improved leather workshop while bringing in seasoned designed professionals from respected brands like Anthropologie to guide Ranchlands Mercantile
in the production of a high-end line of leather goods and accessories. Collections
will feature hides sourced from wild bison herds native to Colorado, harvested in
the winter when fur is thickest – resulting in beautifully soft yet durable accessories,
built to last a lifetime. Together, we will reach new audiences as a means to keep the
dying American ranching tradition alive.
NEST IN
VARANASI INDIA
LOOM TO LUXURY
Varanasi’s Loom to Luxury brings to life the beauty of hand woven silk fabrics
- reviving a luxurious, 500 year-old craft while enriching the lives of the skilled
craftsmen and women who practice it. Loom to Luxury believes that the creation
of exceptional hand woven fabrics begins with the weaver himself. Loom to Luxury
believes in living and working alongside its artisans in order to create a supportive,
inspiring and empowering environment for weavers, their families and their communities. In the process, Loom to Luxury is re-igniting pride in an age-old Indian
tradition and engaging the next generation of weavers to build a brighter future for
handloom weaving.
Loom to Luxury is joining with Nest to address threats to product quality and
consistency of output as posed by working from home. Together with fashion label,
Maiyet, and world-renowned architect, David Adjaye, we are building a new stateof-the-art workspace and community center in Varanasi. Under its roof, Nest
professionals will work side-by-side with Varanasi artisans to reinvigorate ancient
weaving techniques so as to meet demands of the moder n global marketplace.
The project will provide Varanasi weavers access to vital needs like clean water,
social services, and dedicated communal spaces that promote mutual understanding and respect between men and women of Hindu and Muslim communities.
NEST IN
WEST JAVA, INDONESIA
B AT I K KO M A R
Batik Komar is a fifth-generation family business creating new dimensions of technical
expertise and design innovation in batik textile production. Headquartered in Bandung,
the business relies on the traditional Trusmi batik of Cirebon and surrounding regions as
the reference for its impressive collection of unique batik designs. Boasting an astounding
collection of batik hand stamps representing more than 5,000 unique motifs, Batik Komar
employs skilled and scrupulous hand application and dying in order to render its elegant
designs.
To assist Batik Komar in meeting the timelines and quality standards of contemporary
fashion clients, Nest will help to construct a new open-air workshop in Cirebon - one
designed with respect to traditional architecture. As a means to incite fresh interest in
traditional batik, as well as to position the craft prestigiously in front of prospective
partners and clients, the space will feature a state-of-the art museum.. Together, Nest
and Batik Komar will build upon a foundation of craftsmanship characterized by stunning complexity—so as to elevate traditional batik to the point at which it is highly
sought after by today’s growing body of socially conscious brands.
NEST IN
BALI INDONESIA
MANO PRODUCTIONS
Offering a portfolio of exquisite work including solid brass-cast and goldp l a t e d j e w e l r y, a s w e l l a s t h o s e f e a t u r i n g i n l a y s o f h o r n , b o n e , a n d r e s i n
sourced from local surrounding artisans, Mano Productions creates stunning and sophisticated handcrafted pieces. Mano’s impressive repertoire
o f f o r m e r c l i e n t s i n c l u d e s Va l e n t i n o a n d C e l i n e .
In partnership with Nest, Mano will work to increase its production
capacity and improve product quality via access to new and moder n
machinery; an aggressive staffing and growth plan; business training
a n d c o n s t r u c t i o n o f a n e w f a c i l i t y. To g e t h e r, w e w i l l h e l p g e n e r a t e
e c o n o m i c o p p o r t u n i t y o u t s i d e o f B a l i ’ s l a r g e l y e x p l o i t i v e t o u r i s m s e c t o r,
transforming the traditional art of brass-cast jewelry-making into a tool
for sustainable economic and social change.
NEST IN
HUE VIETNAM
FA S H I O N 4 F R E E D O M
Fashion4Freedom (F4F) is a social enter prise that seeks to balance fashion manufacturing with social responsibility and development. F4F’s objective is to help foster a new
marketplace for high quality and eco-friendly fashion while fighting poverty through
skill and infrastructure development, as well as via the empower ment of women and
girls exploited in Vietnam. Working across 33 villages, F4F has built a thriving artisan
network comprised of skilled artisans, responsibly-sourced materials, socially conscious
labor practices, and the support of semi-gover nment owned factories. F4F sells retailers
and wholesalers their own brands as well as providing a service called Village Sourcing
that offers production of white label products using its network of villages and factories.
All profit goes towards education, community rehabilitation, and skill building for those
disenfranchised and under-represented.
Nest is working with Fashion4Freedom to provide its artisans additional market access
and community support by forging sourcing relationships with brands.
For more information, please contact:
Press
[email protected]
Retail Partnerships
[email protected]
Social Partnerships
[email protected]
or learn more at
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