Muni on this:
What if you could turn your shopping sprees into mindful run-ins with local crafters and creative eco-warriors?
In today’s era of mass production, 10a Alabama is a venue for crafters, artists, and consumers alike to return to the main principles of engaging in the mindful and creative process of traditional handmade production. The handmade movement provides the perfect structure for individuals and organizations alike to learn how to incorporate sustainable and environmental principles in their purchasing decisions and product consumption and construction.
Last weekend, the first of this year’s 10a Alabama Arts & Crafts Fair series was held in the famed Resurrection Furniture gallery, a repurposed ancestral home in Quezon City. More than your usual “last price ‘ho?” bazaars, the 10a Alabama Handmade Arts & Crafts Fair was a warm get-together of like-minded individuals eager to learn more about the creative process of the exceptional handcrafted pieces.
Here are some of the Alabama exhibitors that advocate for conscious consumption by using local, upcycled, repurposed, and natural materials for their handmade creations.
SiKLO Pilipinas is an upcycling enterprise, owned and managed by the husband and wife team of Lyndon and Clarice Ecuacion, which transforms discarded rubber tires into rugged travel gear. From BMX bike tires turned into satchels and pouches to reclaimed dump truck tires used as bag slings to inner tube rubbers turned into various accessories (belts, bracelets, etc.), we’re pretty excited to know more about their upcycling process. (Muni’s special feature on them coming soon!)
Junk Studio, founded by crafter Nikki Abelardo in 2008, provides one-of-a-kind accessories made from discarded upcycled materials. We absolutely adored her vinyl record creations: book ends, bags, and clocks!
Pop! accessories are your one-of-a-kind handmade bottle cap (tansan) creations. Geli and Ella of Pop! create unique and sturdy pins, rings, necklaces, and hair clips using the neglected tansans. They believe that handmade should not just be pocket-friendly but eco-friendly, too.
Lotus Bloom is a brand of eco-friendly, chemical-free artisan soaps created by Joanne Barriga Quintana. Inspired by the Savon de Marseille, she and her husband launched Lotus Bloom, creating soaps made from “pure vegetable oils, organic high-quality plan extracts, rich butters and handpicked flowers, herbs, and premium aromatheraphy oils”, cut carefully by hand, and individually packaged using biodegradable materials.
Resurrection Furniture produces upcycled furniture pieces created by Leah Sanchez, Binggoy de Ocampo, and Arlene Barbaza (they were also the amazing people behind the Alabama fair!). Using discarded materials that would otherwise be filling another dump site, Resurrection Furniture created drawers from reclaimed wood, a chess set from discarded computer keys, a magnetic board using broken cabinet handles, and so much more. Resurrection Furniture was recognized as one of the creative hotspots at Manila FAME last March.
Lumago Designs, founded by Whitney Fleming, and supported by Manila-based advocate Demi Keenan (seen in photo), is a Dumaguete-based social enterprise on the forefront of the “eco bling” trend by turning landfill trash into wearable, sustainable, and fair trade treasures. Their earrings, necklaces, and bracelets are the perfect accessories for any earth-lover fashionista. Lumago Designs was also among Muni’s Manila FAME finds, and Whitney was one of the resource speakers during the Muni Eco Fashion Workshop last March 11. Read Muni’s feature on Lumago beginnings here.
There will be a couple more 10a Alabama Arts & Crafts Fair this year so don’t you worry your crafty self. And remember to continue supporting products that encourage conscious consumption and manifest a connect and genuine concern to the environment.
Do you have a handcrafted product idea you’d like to share and collaborate on with an artist/crafter? Share your thoughts!
Visit the websites of featured 10A Alabama Exhibitors in this post here: Junk Studio Lotus Bloom Handcrafted Soaps Lumago Designs Pop Pins Resurrection Furniture SiKLO Pilipinas (no website, just e-mail siklo_pilipinas[at]yahoo[dot]com)
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