Over the last few weeks we conducted a series of case studies with clients who bring ethical manufacturing to the forefront of their businesses. This week we speak to Chilpa founder Maru Rojas, who is an advocate for slow fashion. The company specialises in selling Handmade, fair trade Mexican Roozbos and Textiles, promoting the craft of Mexican artisans. You can find Chilpa products at the V&A’s Frida Kahlo exhibition which opens in London on the 16th of June.

Can you tell me about Chilpa, and where the idea to build a business around a creative studio came from?

We’ve been going for fours years. I’m from Mexico, and I’ve always wanted to run my own business that was ethical and fair-trade. So I began working with artisans from Mexico and that’s how it started!

Why is ethical manufacturing such an important part of your business?

All of the products are hand-made, some designed by me and all made with traditional artisanal techniques, and that kind of approach drives the business itself. We don’t sell any non-handmade goods.

What are you most proud of?

I am actually taking maternity leave from next week, so we’re going to have to pause it for a while and that is a bit daunting. But at the same time we’ve had a really big wholesale order for the V&A’s Frida Kahlo exhibition, so that’s a really big thing that’s coming for this year and I’m really happy to be able to promote the skill and work of the artisans we work with on such a scale.

Your Experience With Stitched Boxes

What features do you like most about Stitched Boxes and our service?

The fact that there are no minimum quantity orders. We’re a small business so we can place small orders that works for us at that point. We also like that it’s a UK based business.

How has your experience been so far?

Good, the process of getting the quotes and putting an order has always been very straight forward, and I think I’ve been dealing with the same person since the start which is good.

Sometimes with slightly bigger companies you send an email to someone, and someone else will reply and you never speak to the same person and end up going in circles – that can be quite frustrating. That’s not the case with you guys at all; it’s good to always be dealing with one or two people so that they know your name and what you’re doing. The products are great, they are well priced and again if we need 50 boxes we can order 50, if we need 500 we can order 500.

Were we able to address any specific problems in terms of packaging for your company?

Yes. I had boxes made that fit within the Royal Mail’s large letter size, and that obviously reduces our packaging and posting costs. We’ve had two boxes made, and the two of them fit in the Royal mail’s large letter sizes which is perfect.

Would you recommend us to other businesses?

Yes, definitely!

Over the last few weeks we conducted a series of case studies with clients who bring ethical, localised manufacturing to the forefront of their businesses. This week we speak to the Flint based company Mij Moj, which was founded by designers Gafyn Owen and Sean Nelson. The company designs and crafts unique, handmade gifts and bespoke furniture from sustainably sourced timber. 

Can you tell me a bit about MijMoj and where the idea for building a business around a creative studio came from?

Essentially we started making bespoke furniture, and then from the events and shows we exhibited at, started making a range of smaller items that we could sell off the stand as gifts. Since then the business has just grown and grown.

We’re now selling online, myself and my business partner Sean are both from a design background having studied together at University and always wanted to work for ourselves. We set up the business with the intention of developing our own products and being our own bosses.

Why is local and ethical manufacturing such an important and integral part of your business?

All the materials we use are natural materials; the timber we use is mainly oak, walnut, ash, which is ethically sourced and environmentally friendly. The leather that we use is of course also a natural product. We make all our own products here in the UK by hand, a simple style that fits in with the materials we use and it’s designed to last. We source the materials from local suppliers, although some of the timber is from Europe – the timber doesn’t grow quick enough in this country for what we need – but we still source from local companies as much as possible.

What are you most proud of, and what’s the next chapter in your story?

We’re proud of moving to a new premises- we’ve taken on one in the last two years. We were originally working from a small workshop or converted garages in Llanfairfechan, but recently we relocated to Flint to a brand new 3000 square foot premises – so just having the space is great.

The workshop’s set up as we’d like, it’s definitely quite an achievement from our point of view, so that’s been quite nice. We are also seeing growth in our international sales and see this as very much our next chapter exporting to more countries overseas.

Your Experience With Stitched Boxes

What are the features you love most about Stitchedboxes?

They’re made of kraft card and uncoated and they’re not glossy like the kind of packaging that you usually see in retailers. It’s more in keeping with our brand, the kind of ethical values that come with using natural materials to make your products; quite honest about how its made, how its stitched, the same way as how our products are hand-finished, hand-crafted.

Over the last few weeks we conducted a series of case studies with clients who bring ethical, localised manufacturing to the forefront of their businesses. This week we speak to Burgon and Ball, which was founded in Sheffield in 1730.  The business originally catered to the sheep and agricultural market and later moved into gardening. They are the only garden tool manufacturers to be endorsed by the Royal Horticultural Society. 

Can you tell me a bit about Burgon and Ball, and where the idea for the business came from?

So heritage is a really big part of your company?

It is, yes, absolutely. We’ve got people who’ve been with us for over forty years making shears, and they’re still there today. We value the traditional way of doing things. We haven’t changed the shear design since 1865, it’s achieved optimal performance then, and it still does today.

Do you think your customers really appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into making your product?

Yes I do. The goods are very high quality but also I think people want to support British industry when they can, they want to tap into that unbroken heritage back to our agricultural past. It really does build on the tradition; the fact that it’s never stopped production and it’s never changed.

What are you most proud of?

We’re probably proudest of our association with the Royal Horticultural Society. The majority of our tools are indorsed by the RHS. The endorsement was put in place in 2012, and they endorse a wide range, many of our collections, garden tools, Topiary shears and gift ranges. The Topiary shear which we use Stitchedboxes to package is endorsed by the RHS, so that’s something that we are very proud of. We are the only garden tool to be endorsed by the RHS and work closely with them on many of our tools.

Your Experience With Stitched Boxes

What features do you love most about Stitchedboxes?

Would you recommend us to other businesses?

Absolutely; Stitchedboxes adds a lot to the presentation of a premium range, and without a doubt it can add value to many other types of product, too. 

Over the last few weeks we conducted a series of case studies with clients who bring ethical, localised manufacturing to the forefront of their businesses. This week we speak to Ira from London Centre for Book Arts, which he co-founded alongside artist Simon Goode in 2012.  The centre offers artists and makers that are outside of education with access to studio space, equipment and workshops.

Could you tell me a bit about London Centre for Book Arts, and where the idea to build an open-access studio came from?

London Centre for Book Arts is an artist-run, open-access studio devoted to book arts and artist-led publishing. The studio was started by two artists, Simon Goode and Ira Yonemura. After years of collecting equipment and machinery, and raising funds, we moved into our 1700 sq.ft. studio in the autumn of 2012. Soon after we moved in, we opened up our studio to the community and began our programme of teaching the craft of bookbinding and printing to the public, becoming the first centre of its kind in the UK.

We run regular workshops and courses at the studio and off-site at schools, universities, galleries, museums, and other venues. All of the equipment and facilities at the Centre are accessible to the public through our membership programme. We try our hardest to keep access affordable, and membership is open to anyone, whether they are artists, designers, craftspeople, or someone just wanting to make a one-off book.

Why is collaborative, ethical and local manufacturing such an integral part of your business?

When you’re a small business, the best thing that you can do is to create these kind of networks with other similar organisations and businesses and work together. I think we’ve always had a feeling that working with other people is better than working alone.

What are you most proud of and what do you hope to achieve next?

We’re proud of still being around after five years. We’re proud of the wonderful community that we’ve built around the studio.

Last year, a book that we wrote was published by Pavilion Books (along with US and Spanish editions). Making Books: a guide to creating hand-crafted books by the London Centre for Book Arts is now in its 2nd edition, and we’re amazed by the reception we’ve had for it so far.

Your Experience With Stitched Boxes

What features do you love most about Stitchedboxes and our service?

The quality is great, and super reliable. It’s a great business to work with.

Would you recommend us to other businesses?

Yes. And we probably have!

Over the last few weeks we conducted a series of case studies with clients who bring ethical, localised manufacturing to the forefront of their businesses. This week we speak to James from Will Bees Bespoke about the company’s dedication to manufacturing high quality products by hand and in small quantities. The company was founded by Will Bees in 2014, opening a combined workshop and retail space in Salcombe, where he grew up.

Could you tell me a bit about Will Bees Bespoke and how the idea for the business came about?

It’s myself and Will Bees – the business was his idea. He has always been in design and previously had a clothing business with about fourteen shops, and he was looking for a new project. He thought there was opportunity for a hand-made, British hand-bag business – bags and accessories. But also with the twist being that it’s all personalised- so every bag, every accessory you buy from us, we will personalise right there and then, you don’t have to wait. We put personalisation to the front of our brand, that combined with everything being hand-made in England, it’s as simple as that.

On your website it says that Will Bees Bespoke is the “antithesis of mass production.” Why is it so important for the products to be hand-made and British?

So that’s the exact reason, just going back to basics. Previously, you would source everything globally and mass-produce it, and this was just bringing it back to simplicity; we get it made here, smaller quantities, sell what we make. As we go through the seasons, we can react very quickly to the different colour weights, fabrics, patterns, styles that are needed, because we control all aspects of manufacturing. There’s two sides to it- one is the fact that it’s ethical, and secondly is that commercially it just makes sense, and manufacturing in the UK is something that a lot of people don’t think exists, but actually it does, and I think it’s getting stronger and stronger.

Does this allow for reduced waste production?

Absolutely. We literally manufacture to demand, and because we’re small and don’t have lots of shops – we just have the one shop – and our website and events. We pretty much make everything on a month by month basis. Our wastage is minimal.

Could you speak about the craftsmanship that goes into making your products?

Every bag is hand-made, and involves leather and fabric. We have a team of seamstresses. For example, we have a seamstress who works in our shop, and as you walk past the shop you can see her working. She’s been a seamstress all of her life, and we were very lucky to find her a couple of years ago where she joined us full time. Throughout the day she will be making various different styles. It’s hands, it’s sewing machines, and scissors- those are the tools that are used.

Do you have any plans in terms of your business?

We’re lucky because we do something very different, and this means we’re able to get into the prestigious events that normally take a long time to get into. For example Chelsea Flower Show, Burghley Horse Trials, Cheltenham Gold Cup. We now pretty much get asked to go to events, because we’re doing something very unique. So, we’re doing the prestigious events because it makes sense and we’re very busy, but also it drives brand awareness, and that leads back to our website. So for us, it has a lot to do with maintaining a tight business- and it’s about website growth and we are mainly marketing and winning new customers by going out to events around the country.

Your Experience With Stitched Boxes

What’s your favourite thing about Stitchedboxes?

You guys, you’re so helpful. We’re always in a hurry and late in ordering, and you help us out. It’s very much appreciated. What goes without saying is the quality and the look. Packaging – it’s the first thing a customer sees. As much time as we spend making our stands, or our shops or ourselves look good for the customer, packaging is as important because when you open your delivery or gift, that’s the first thing you’re going to see. It’s crucial that that is right. That’s what you guys do for us.

Would you recommend us to other businesses?

Yes I would!