{"id":340875,"date":"2020-04-10T14:25:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-10T18:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.1stdibs.com\/blogs\/the-study\/?p=340875"},"modified":"2021-12-15T06:12:51","modified_gmt":"2021-12-15T11:12:51","slug":"socially-conscious-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.1stdibs.com\/blogs\/the-study\/socially-conscious-design\/","title":{"rendered":"How Socially Conscious Makers Are Giving Back to Local Communities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"klaylife<\/a>
To make its beaded chandeliers, klaylife<\/a> employs South African artisans in need of economic opportunity.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n


Each step in crafting an object has an environmental and social impact, from the sourcing of materials to production. Aware of the responsibility this entails, many designers and makers are thoughtfully organizing their processes to ensure that their impacts are positive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jessica Switzer Green, of JG Switzer<\/a>, in West Sonoma, California, started by thinking about sheep. \u201cI came across the Livestock Conservancy\u2019s website when I was considering what types of wool we would use in the creation of our pieces,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"JG<\/a>
JG Switzer pillows and blanket made from felted Shetland sheep wool<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What caught her eye was the organization’s list of domestic breeds that are endangered because few farms continue to raise them. \u201cI zeroed in on Shetland sheep, which are in a recovery status,\u201d she says. \u201cTheir wool is the perfect fiber for felting, but they\u2019re not that popular because they\u2019re little guys. They don\u2019t yield the same poundage as a Merino.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JG Switzer also uses wool from other sheep on the conservancy\u2019s list in making its all-natural blankets, pillows, throws, and other household goods<\/a>. The company combines its passion for heritage breeds with a commitment to supporting the local economy, partnering primarily with ranchers and artisans located within a 50-mile radius of its headquarters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Shetland
\u201cTheir wool is the perfect fiber for felting, but they\u2019re not that popular because they\u2019re little guys,” Jessica Switzer Green says, describing Shetland sheep.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Much of the wool is milled on JG Switzer’s own repurposed industrial loom, Luna, although some comes from an 18th-century English mill that uses traditional methods. Its luxuriant throws are made with sheep fur upcycled from Italian glove factory remnants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur tagline is \u2018rare fleeces and fine fibers,\u2019 and we work with all-natural fibers all the time,\u201d Switzer Green says. \u201cI have a deep background in sustainable marketing and working for sustainable companies and have internalized that how things are made really matters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"klaylife
klaylife Sash chandelier<\/a> in a bedroom<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For Kerri Wallace, just as for Switzer Green, the provenance of her material is a major consideration. klaylife<\/a>, which she founded in 2014 with her father, Phillip Jones, is based in Melbourne, Australia, but the clay beads used in its sculptural chandeliers, lighting, jewelry and other pieces<\/a> are made by women in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The company originally worked with those impacted by HIV but now engages with a larger contingent of talented artisans in need of economic opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEach clay bead is hand rolled by a beautiful group of women, giving much-needed employment to a community in need,\u201d Wallace says. \u201cEvery bead is as unique as the lady who created it, and as a result, each light is its own unique piece of art.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"klaylife
Each clay bead is hand rolled before being sun-dried, kiln fired and dip-dyed, so no two beads are the same.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Before starting klaylife, Wallace was a morning-radio producer, getting up at the crack of dawn, and her father was about to retire from a long career in food distribution. They had moved to Australia from South Africa in 1989 but maintained ties to their old home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I discovered the incredible handmade chandeliers from the country we hold so close in our hearts, I knew it was time to turn off that awful alarm clock and put a slight pause on Phillip\u2019s retirement,\u201d Wallace says. \u201cWe now send the lights all over the globe, and, like us, our clients connect with the story behind them.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Microfreaks<\/a>
The Haas Brothers’ beaded Microfreaks sculptures<\/a> are crafted by the women of the Lost Hills, in California’s rural Central Valley.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Los Angeles\u2013based Haas Brothers<\/a> have forged a creative connection with a community somewhat closer to home. Renowned for their vibrant, playful furniture and art, twins Niki and Simon have applied their innovative spirit to collaborating with the women of Lost Hills, in California\u2019s Central Valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The small, rural community was brought to their attention by philanthropist Lynda Resnick, co-owner of the Wonderful Company, which has agricultural operations in the area. Knowing that jobs there were scarce, especially for females in the farm-heavy economy, Resnick had been on the lookout for ways the women could employ the ingenuity she knew they had in large supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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