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29 April 2022
Courier Weekly provides inspiration and tools to help you work better and live smarter.
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Your weekly round-up of briefings, trends and news.
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Recrafting the business of handmade
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If you've scrolled social media platforms like Instagram or Pinterest for inspiration lately, you'll have inevitably come across artisan-inspired goods – think signature black zigzags on Beni Ourain rugs originally created by Moroccan Berber weavers, or bright floral fabrics like those from block printers in Rajasthan. But is the money from those homeware sales going to artisan designers?
Though the handicraft industry is set to be worth $847 billion by 2027, and the artisan economy is the second-largest employer in the developing world, makers often aren't fairly compensated or recognized for their work. Wages are low, middlemen squeeze the price further and online retail platforms, where artisan business owners have more direct access to global customers, are charging increasing fees – sellers on online marketplace Etsy recently went on strike over additional costs.
Meanwhile, major brands rip off designs handed down for generations without crediting the original makers, while travel restrictions due to Covid-19 have hurt direct sales from tourism.
There's a growing need for business models that put ownership – financial and creative – back into the hands of artisans.
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Harnessing online retail: the Anou Cooperative
The Anou Cooperative is an artisan-owned collective comprising more than 600 makers across Morocco. It works with artisans to display their wares on a site similar to Etsy, with 100% of the sales going back to the creator (the Anou adds an additional fee on top of the final price to develop the cooperative). It also provides communication with buyers, quality control, shipping, design consultation and training on Instagram and Facebook ads.
Crucially, the Anou Cooperative allows artisans to set their own prices. Rkiya Ibchine, co-founder of The Women's Leather Collective of Marrakech, which has been part of the Anou Cooperative since 2017, estimates that through making individual deals with wholesalers, the collective would get around 400 MAD ($40) per leather pouffe, whereas via the Anou Cooperative, which helps it source wholesale customers, it gets around 600 MAD ($60).
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Cultural intellectual property: Mahila Print
Mahila Print, a block-printing brand based in Bagru, India, has a business model that makes it easy for designers to use block-print designs in their work while properly compensating the women artisans who hand-carve the prints.
People can license a print from its design library for a set fee, and soon it'll be possible to purchase fabric from the library, which pays a 5% royalty fee to the maker. You can also visit the studio in Bagru, to collaborate and co-create with the artisans. Whatever method is chosen, the Mahila Print advisory board drafts a mutually beneficial agreement within the Cultural Intellectual Property Rights Initiative framework.
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Access to scale: SOKO
One of the challenges facing individual artisans is access to larger markets – often their reach is limited by what they can sell locally or through access to a nearby factory. SOKO, a brand that sells jewelry made by Kenyan artisans, has developed a mobile app that acts as a virtual factory.
SOKO's system uses machine learning to match product orders to the right artisan in their network of more than 2,500 across Kenya. Artisans use the app to manage inventory and deliveries and are paid directly via mobile, with SOKO's local field workers using it to check quality and production. The savings are passed on to artisans, who earn 25% to 35% of the final price, compared with an industry average of 2% to 3%.
For more on these business models (and a look at an artisan-first mochila bag company in Colombia), check out the full story here.
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Inspiration for the home, plus things to eat, drink and wear.
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All that glitters
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Four jewelry brands to keep your collection shining bright.
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Laura Lombardi started her jewelry-design career making lockets on her kitchen table. Now working from her New York City studio, she creates pieces with motifs inspired by her childhood in Tuscany, like this Amorina Charm Necklace. |
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Focusing on recycled materials, Melbourne-based designer Seb Brown makes jewelry that stands out. His Tokyo Ring is made from sterling silver and is set with a pearl, a sapphire and an emerald. |
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All of jewelry brand Mayol's eighties-inspired pieces are handmade in Greece by founder Marianna Derizioti, alongside her mum and sister. The Ferris Bueller Bracelet features freshwater pearls and is made to order. |
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If you're after something that's really one of a kind, why not make your own jewelry? The Gemstone Ring Carving Kit from The Workbench London lets you carve your own ring at home, which the brand will then cast and set. |
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Is there a brand you love that you want to share?
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Tips and tools to become better at life and work.
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Focusing on video content
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Whether through social media, explainers or ads, video content is one of the best ways to drive engagement (and sales). In fact, a recent survey found that using video content increased brand awareness for 93% of marketers, while 81% said it directly led to an increase in sales. Here, Naomi Joda, creative director of video design studio JODA.studio, gives her tips on how to improve your video skills.
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You don't need fancy tools. To make professional-looking videos, you don't need a pricey camera or a high-end rig. ‘Start with your phone if you can, as the quality can be good enough for social videos,’ says Naomi. |
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Practice makes perfect. To improve your filming and editing techniques, you need to be working at them regularly, says Naomi. ‘Practice with daily stories on Instagram and or Snapchat, until you feel comfortable branching out to [Instagram] Reels and TikTok videos.’ |
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Get inspiration from others. Use learning platform Skillshare, YouTube or even Instagram and TikTok to get tips on how to record, edit and improve your video content. Naomi says, ‘Don't be afraid to have a look at what others are doing. Emulate the content you like and make it your own!’ For smartphone filming tips, Miranda Morey is a videographer who posts tutorials and ideas on Instagram and YouTube. |
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Want to improve engagement on your videos?
‘If you want your audience to watch videos to the end, you need to keep them concise and make sure the purpose is clear,’ says Naomi. This is most clearly demonstrated on TikTok, where one in four of the highest performing videos are between 21 and 34 seconds long. Naomi recommends researching the platform that you're posting content to, to decide which format works best. For example, if you're posting Instagram stories, the limit for one story is 15 seconds, with a main feed post allowing up to 10 minutes.
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Naomi's extra tips
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Use graphics, illustrations or gifs – depending on the platform, you can use text features to make your videos more eye-catching and clear. |
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TikTok's text-to-speech function also makes videos more engaging. |
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Watch your video back and get others to watch and give feedback, too – are they engaged? |
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Other great stuff we loved this week.
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