MUM's designs 2015!

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MUM’S STORY / FAIR DESIGN & MATERIALS / COLLECTION / FLOWERDROPS CHARITY
M
CARRIED IN BLOOD,
MADE BY HEART
STORIES OF MUM’S ARTISANS
This is Zanele making lampshades,
texthangers and brooches and animal
trophies for Mum’s.
By Chi Zhang
Mum’s products are
100% handmade by skillful
craftsmen in Asia, Africa
and South America. There
are young talents who are
only in their 20s and there
are also experienced craftsmen
who have been in
the business for almost 30
years. To them, handicraft
skill is embedded in their
blood.
Babulal, Dinesh, Ravi,
Surender, Akbar ali,
Rabban ali...these Indian
craftsmen have been
working with Mum’s for
almost 3 years now. They
make carpets, floor cushions,
bags and wall hangings.
Through their clever
hands, a small carpet
(90cm x 200cm) can be
made in three to four days
while a large one (170cm
x 240cm) takes about a
week. When sitting by
the loom, they performed
inherited skills from their
forefathers. Now they are
able to weave their own
dreams.
- It all happened when
we were in need of some
exposure. I was a bit lucky
to be a part of Mum’s.
Craftsmen from South
Africa shared with us some
real changes in their lives.
Before cooperating with
Mum’s, they spent most of
the time at street markets
waiting for buyers, having
no idea what the future
holds for them. Now they
can work from home and
get a decent income on a
regular basis. These efficient
craftsmen are able
to create ten small-sized
trophy heads or seven tailor-made
hangers in only
one day. Angus, the person
who is in charge of the telephone
wire products* is
obviously passionate about
his job since he dreamed
for ‘more work’. Mum’s
has introduced a modern
SoHo working style to
those craftsmen and workers.
Now they also have
more opportunities to get
out of the ‘poverty trap’ in
that society which they described
as unequal.
The interviewed craftsmen
all expressed their love
for Mum’s. They feel that
their skills and hard work
are greatly appreciated.
They get fair salaries. The
OUT OF THE TRASH BIN
RECYCLING LOCAL MATERIALS FOR GLOBAL GOOD
By Viktoriya Kuzina
& Marianna Haavisto
What do telephone
wires, plastic bottles,
paper and cotton have in
common? Any of them
can be found in Africa.
Any of them can also be
used to bring amazing interior
design items to life.
From small jewelry to full
size chairs and mirrors –
Mum’s always relies on
local recycled materials
and factory leftovers as a
primary source of working
materials.
Mum’s hires people
to gather recyclable waste
providing employment in
localities all over the world
with a fair payment to its
workers. Every type of
waste may be later used and
turned into a piece of art:
a chair with a hand-knotted
seat made of recycled
plastic, a lampshade made
of bottles and canisters,
cushions made of reclaimed
cotton and many others.
Mum’s tracks down the
origin of the materials to
ensure they were ethically
produced and obtained.
For example, instead of
wool gathered by mulesing
techniques Mum’s relies
on painlessly sheared hy-
po-allergenic alpaca wool
from Bolivia, along with
leather leftovers of shoes
production from Africa,
hand-dyed sari cuts from
India, and Cambodian silk.
By re-using locally
gathered materials and factory
leftovers at the workshops,
Mum’s votes for
better working conditions
and a cleaner environment
as well as for animal-friendly
and cruelty-free production
principles. Choosing
Mum’s products does not
only support the ethical
design principles but also
unites people around the
world.
MEET MUM’S AT
PULSE LONDON
10-12th MAY 2015
“EVERY TYPE OF
WASTE MAY BE LATER
USED AND TURNED
INTO A PIECE OF ART.
IT’S JUST THINKING
USED MATERIAL THE
NEW WAY” -THE BIRD
phrase ‘full transparency’
was used by the craftsmen
to describe their business
relationship with Mum’s.
They are very proud to say
that they get compliments,
a lovely bonus, for their
products.
When asked what they
want to say to Mum’s, they
put it in a very Nordic way,
simple and practical.
- Long live Mum’s!
*For more stories about
telephone wire products,
please check the article
“Out of the trash bin”.
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Collecting recycled material
in Africa. (Up) “Now they
are able to weave their own
dreams”. (Left)
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“I SPEAK ENGLISH AND TURKU:
GOOD WITH GOODS!
KAUHIA PALI HYVÄÄ TAVARAST!”
-THE BIRD
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Mum’s uses various types of ethical materials: local, first class wool in India and Bolivia, surplus and recycled
materials in Cambodia and South Africa. We have made sure no mulesing technique is used within
shearing as it is very painful for an animal. The raw material is processed into fine desing in the hands
of local artisans.
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