Wow. Working with these fragile broken butterfly wings seems like a very dedicated and meditative job to me. Designer Anne ten Donkelaar repaired these beautiful creatures with gold, old maps, roots, threads and embroidery.

But recently, we’ve collected some more said dumped dresses and lonely accessories. So get yourself ready for a clothes swap and visit upcoming Ecofabs Fashion Party during Margriet Winter Fair in Utrecht (18/24 November 2011). This time Ecofabs teams up with Ecover. Ecover is THE leading -eco friendly cleaning products brand- in Europe. Fresh up your swapped clothes with Ecover and you will not only have a happy but also a glorious new outfit!

In the beginning of this year I joined the TrendsActive team for a while to do some very interesting research about social cultural trends focusing on women trends. In the book “In Your Purse: Archaeology of the American Handbag” I could read that American women carry around 66 items in their bag to help them through the day. Hmm that’s a lot right..? An interesting trigger to count the stuff in my own bag.

Okay, this is a really selfconfronting thing to do. Trying my very best to live an eco-conscious life and seeing my (over)consuming behavior at the same time. Do I really need four different type of lipglosses?  In total I count 36 items,  but after I checked the stuff, cards and coins in my loaded *) blue purse, I counted 51 things. Let’s have a closer look.

My top 3 musthaves are:

1. Solid perfume FIG bought at Doctor Feelgood, a masage company in Amsterdam where you can find all sorts of Feelgoods! Toss this adorable perfume in your bag to refresh your scent on the go! This eco-friendly and socially responsible perfume is made with organic soy and coconut wax containing natural and essential oils. I am hooked to this sweet fig fragrance which makes me feel fresh fruity all day.

2. This mobile phone cover is handmade by OMA (Oma is Dutch for Grandmother) bought at Charlie + Mary.

3. These cool wooden sunglasses! New in town and findably at Charlie + Mary.

Things back in bag for now. If women are IN CHARGE like TrendsActive is saying, than fashionista’s behind Charlie+Mary store, Charlotte van Waes + Marieke Vinck and founder of Doctor Feelgood, Esther van der Plas, are definitally THE trendsetters in doing conscious business!  While Charlotte and I are enjoying another coffee in the sun, I suggest you to have a closer look in your own bag. In case you are a stuff 66+ type of bag person (quite heavy stuff right?) you might need a Feelgood massage soon! More bags click this!

Wow…I felt like entering a fairy tale when I visited the Ijm colour pop-up store, perfectly matching colours on walls and ceiling and these enchanting String Gardens. Imagine these beauties by nature in your house, balcony, and bedroom…

Amsterdam based bag designer Kim van Beek presented Buddhi bags.

1. What is your story behind your product? To design for a developing country. Nepal. I developed a new design for an old craft: felting. A craft which they master well in Nepal.

I came across Nepali craftsmen and their products in Amsterdam and the idea occurred to design a brand new product.

My first collection “Hidden Culture” is produced in Nepal. I made the designs and guided the process in the factory in Nepal; the Association for Craft producers.

My second collection “NO machines bY Hand” I made myself (by hand) in Holland. I want to fully master the craft myself to broaden my design qualities. For now I am making this collection here, I already have some customers, and I hope to be ready soon to bring the design in production in Nepal.

Felting the bag is a labour intensive process which takes 3-4 days.

I felt very thick -500 grams of wool in total for the bag- and put a lot of pressure with my hands when I felt to make sure the thick felt is of good quality. Then I cut it open and start sculpturing the felt in 3D until it is a seamless form.

I love the simple idea of the craft. With your own hands, by adding energy to the wool with water and soap, you create a fabric and you create forms. It is a very “honest” and rich material, strong, waterproof; it can adapt many shapes and colours.

2. What are your values of luxury? Good quality, simple forms, made with passion and dedication and sense for the character of the material!

3. Where do you find inspiration? In art and in the material itself.

4. How and why do you engage in aspects of sustainability in your design? (what kind of materials do you use and how do you produce?) Wool is nature and animal friendly. It is always available and you only use water and (nature friendly) soap to make it. There is no waste, as you weigh the exact grams of wool you need.

5. What does sustainability (luxury) mean for you as a designer? I hope my customers will recognize wool as a rich material, just as rich as leather. I make designs based on the material and the skills available in Nepal.  That is the challenge. That is the sustainable character of my way of designing. At the same time it is sustainable in the literary sense of the word, namely it is material which comes directly from sheep, wool, without harming them. And as long as there are sheep there is wool.

6. What does sustainability (luxury) mean for you as a consumer? A design is good when it is attractive in an aesthetic way, when it is inventive, well made, made with love, in small production. A result of an interesting thought.

7. What does sustainability (luxury) mean for you in general? A conscious way of living , being and consuming.

8. What is your vision on the future concerning design and sustainability?

Every designer should think about it and form his own opinion of what sustainability means fro him/her and how to use it in design.

Wondering where you can find these alluring designer products? Check out former posts and links participating designers/stores at the right. (credits in this report will follow asap).

Enter room 210

Flowerbar by Food & Jazz dj’s

Ahrend presents table and chairs.

Utrecht based eco-friendly store Smile Superstore is presenting some innovative products: Ecogen products designed by Hans Maier-Aichen, Paraplu Brelli and fair trade condoms.

Interview with Hans Maier-Aichen, the designer of ECOGEN.

Hans Maier-Aichen is a Stuttgart (Germany) based Designer, Curator and Professor for Product Design .

1. What is your story behind your product? Try to avoid any plastic waste for the future and designing some archetypic/longterm, super normal products for everyday life with a 100% compostable material.

2. What are your values of luxury? To do LESS but BETTER products, reading LESS BUT BETTER books, try to stay independent from most of global and short minded influences.

3. Where do you find inspiration? While I am traveling and observing/recording with open eyes and sensing a curious brain all the time during the day

4. How and why do you engage in aspects of sustainability in your design? (what kind of materials do you use and how do you produce?) Today there is no other way than working for a conscious reduction in using materials and designing things. 

So we have to develop less products but better products which means that we have to contribute to sustainability and care about ecological aspects.

We also note that 95% of the world’s designers produce design products for about 10% of the world’s consumers. This has to be changed. But this is only possible by initiating a radical paradigm shift in design.

It is compulsory to use the minimum of materials to get the maximum of design quality. An enormous challenge for the future!

5. What does sustainability (luxury) mean for you as a designer? To do better designs and take more time to create some innovative objects

6. What does sustainability (luxury) mean for you as a consumer? To buy LESS!


7. What does sustainability (luxury) mean for you in general? To buy LESS but better (things)


8. What is your vision on the future concerning design and sustainability? To start developing useful design for the Other 90% and abolish useless things.

Things I like to do: LESS but better

Entrepreneurs Marieke and Charlotte are living in Amsterdam and are the owners of Charlie+Mary a fair concept.

During INSIDE DESIGN Marieke & Charlotte present the labels:

Achemist, Beyond skin, Camilla Norrback, Charlie + Mary, Knowledge, Own me drawings, My Paper Bag, Nkuku,Satara, Skatebord bangles, Studio JUX, Veja,TOMS, Chatoui,

1. What is your story behind your product? All items in our store are hip, fair + eco friendly. All our brands have  a story to tell. We communicate the brand’s philosophy, production methods and innovation in the field of sustainability through our concept.

2. What are your values of luxury? Good quality, comfort and feeling good by doing good and looking good!

3. Where do you find inspiration? Cities as London and Sydney and from likeminded people around us.

4. How and why do you engage in aspects of sustainability in your design? (what kind of materials do you use and how do you produce?) Sustainability is the future, we need to go sustainable! And make it easy and fun for people to choose for sustainable products. The brands we sell choose sustainable materials over conventional materials to create their collections. Where they can not choose for a sustainable material yet they are involved in developing other more sustainable options.

5. What does sustainability (luxury) mean for you as a designer? Searching for new sustainable options all the time, in the field of fashion but also in any other aspect of performing our business

6. What does sustainability (luxury) mean for you as a consumer? Feeling good by doing good

7. What does sustainability (luxury) mean for you in general? Sustainability is part of our lifestyle. It’s always on our minds in a positive way. It’s a way of seeking for solutions.

8. What is your vision on the future concerning design and sustainability? Sustainability will be more and more integrated into design and in the end sustainability will be a core principle of design.

Things we like to do: Traveling, dancing, finding inspiration, meeting new people