This month, I am honored to interview Karen Gibbs, co-founder of ByHand Consulting. The company, which she runs alongside her business partner, Colvin English, helps artisan businesses create marketing plans to increase sales and profitability, and supports artisan brands in developing ethical supply partnerships with artisan producers.

This week we dive into indigo ikat, designed by a French brand that I am repping who works with artists in Guatemala and Mexico. There is so much to explore within their full collection but I wanted to start by sharing this stunning fabric.
The indigo used in this collection originated in the Americas. For thousands of years, communities used this blue color in pottery, murals, and textiles. The dye is extracted from a plant called anil. To produce the dye in Oaxaca, leaves are cut, crushed, and fermented in water for 20 days in a clay jar placed in the sun.

Are you a shop or brand looking for unique hand-woven natural fiber by the yard? If so, I have a partner to introduce you to that is doing just that. My colleague oversees design and development for a group of expert women weavers in Uganda who make textiles by the yard. You can assemble the final pieces or work with my partner in the US to finalize everything. Their plaited palm material is a really unique product in the market and is incredibly versatile – you can use it to upholster furniture, sew into handbags, frame it as wall art, or turn it into beautiful pillows.

From puzzles to tic tac toe, these games are beautiful when set on a table and are a welcome addition for all of us as we spend more time at home these days. They also have an adorable set of laundry clips and heart paperweights to jazz up one’s desk.

This week I’d like to show you some of what's new from my glassware partner in Oaxaca. They are now offering their entire eco-friendly, recycled glassware lines in new shades of smokey white, olive green, and dark grey. When I say eco-friendly, I really mean it. 95% of the glassware is made from recycled bottles collected in the nearby neighborhoods in Oaxaca. They mix the glass waste with cooking oil to create their crystal-quality glassware. Discarded glass is crushed and melted before each piece is blown by hand.

This month, I hosted a fascinating conversation between Colvin English of ByHand Consulting, Hedvig Alexander, previous Founder of Far & Wide and Co-Founder of Powered by People, and Daniella Mastracci, Director of Operations at Trade & Impact.