Ethical Archieven - Aurora Concepts

Boekentip :: Ontdekkingsreis naar een duurzame wereld

We leven in een bijzondere tijd. Sommige bronnen spreken zelfs over de dageraad van een Nieuwe Tijd. Een tijd waarin we de kans krijgen een paradijs op aarde te creëren. Waarin we ons niet door hebzucht laten leiden. Een tijd waarin we de leus ‘vrijheid, gelijkheid, broederschap’ eindelijk recht zouden kunnen doen. Deze dageraad wordt ook gekenmerkt door chaos. Of zoals de Trendrede van 2017 (waarover meer in een volgende blogpost) het beschrijft: “We zitten in de kreukelzone van een waardenwending.” Alleen in chaos ontstaat een nieuwe orde. Is het in het klein niet hetzelfde? Als je je kamer opruimt, maak je dan niet eerst een heleboel rommel voordat er een nieuw systeem ontstaat? Het is misschien moeilijk voor te stellen met alle negatieve berichten in de media, maar we leven echt in de meest vreedzame tijd ooit. Het is makkelijk te wijzen naar de anonieme ander, maar een waardenwending haalt ook het lelijke overhoop dat een nieuwe plek moet krijgen, het liefst in het licht. Deze tijd wordt gekenmerkt door lichtbrengers. Ook wel ‘lightworkers’ genoemd. Deze zouden de aarde op dit moment bijstaan in het pad naar dit paradijs. Dit doen ze door middel van hun specifieke energie, positieve […]

doTERRA; geschenk van de aarde

Wellness is al een aantal jaar een grote trend. Dat blijkt bijvoorbeeld uit de hoeveelheid geurkaarsen die hun weg vinden naar de huiskamers, van goedkope Kruidvat-exemplaren tot de duurste en meest exclusieve onder stolp gecreëerd door fancy parfumhuizen. Toen ik vorig jaar Maison&Objet bezocht, kon ik verdwalen in een compleet geurige hal gewijd aan, je raadt het al, wellness. We willen onszelf verwennen, we verlangen naar exclusiviteit en luxe. We geven ons geld meer en meer uit aan ‘ervaringen’ en wellness is een van de meest genoeglijke ervaringen die er te koop zijn. Ook kwaliteit speelt hierbij een grote rol; we willen the best of the best. Onlangs had ik een afspraak met Liesbeth Bakker, die ik nog ken uit de tijd dat ik boeken maakte voor Altamira en zij evenementen organiseerde voor Bliz. Ze had me verteld dat ze ‘bezig was met iets nieuws’. Wij maakten een afspraak om bij te praten, maar ik wilde deze de betreffende dag afzeggen, omdat ik last had van een fikse verkoudheid met keelpijn. ‘Geeft niet, daar heb ik wel wat voor.’ was Liesbeth’s reactie en dus troffen wij elkaar. Nu moeten jullie weten dat ik nogal sceptisch ben van aard, of misschien […]

Meesterlijk Design & Ambacht :: 2016

Afgelopen vrijdag was ik aanwezig bij de opening van Meesterlijk Design & Ambacht georganiseerd door Nicole Uniquole. Voor drie dagen stond design en ambacht centraal in de Zuiveringshal en het Machinegebouw van het Westergasterrein in Amsterdam. Er waren makers uit uiteenlopende disciplines en je kon je er verheugen in ‘de nieuwe luxe‘: duurzame, verantwoorde en ambachtelijk geproduceerde producten van een uitzonderlijke schoonheid. Centraal stond ook de passie die al meteen te voelen was in de openingsspeech van Nicole. Ook al wordt de beurs voor de achtste keer georganiseerd; haar enthousiasme om mooi design en ambacht te presenteren is onverminderd groot terwijl de interesse de afgelopen jaren alleen maar toeneemt. Afgelopen jaar stond Meesterlijk (of Masterly) zelfs voor het eerst in Milaan op de Salone del Mobile en was daar een groot succes. Hoe valt deze toenemende populariteit te verklaren? Afgezien van het ijzersterke concept dat eraan ten grondslag ligt? Ik ging naar de beurs met mijn trendwatchpet op en duidde een aantal trends. Deze trends baden vanzelfsprekend in een zee van oneindig veel meer trends, maar geven op zichzelf ook een goed beeld van de tijdsgeest. Ik probeer vooral hun achtergrond te verklaren. In het verlengde hiervan zou je kunnen […]

mrt 02

by Donata van der Rassel in Accessories, Art, Brand, Conscious life, Ethical, Lifestyle, Textiles 1 comments tags: baptiste de pape, coco mat, ivy & liv, kidspiration club, paul efmorfidis, pony peaches, roxanne dekker, the power of the heart, volkshotel

Art Expo Roxanne Dekker at COCO-MAT

This weekend I attended the art expo by Roxanne Dekker in the COCO-MAT store in Amsterdam. I was early so I got to shoot some photo’s of this beautiful conceptstore. I also had the opportunity to talk to Roxanne, a really sweet and talented lady. She uses music and nature sounds as her inspiration and puts them on paper (or another medium). She works a lot with ink which creates beautiful dreamy effects. For COCO-MAT she illustrated a bed sheet with paint live (I also got a painted goodie bag to take home with one of my favorite nature sounds: the sea). She also did work for one of my favorite jewelry brands: Ivy & Liv and the Volkshotel. She really has a signature style, with lots of popping colors. She is a very versatile creative too, she also works as a DJ in the DJ formation Pony Peaches and she teaches art class to kids (the Kidspiration Club). I was impressed with the COCO-MAT store too. The story behind this beautiful lifestyle brand really is amazing, I recommend watching this YouTube interview of Lilou Mace with COCO-MAT founder Paul Efmorfidis. He made ecology a way of life; he has no cell phone, cycles everywhere, […]

nov 24

by Donata van der Rassel in Accessories, Conscious life, Decorating, Ethical, Fashion 0 comments tags: annemarie de raadt, antique, borcante, cin in wonen, de goede gids, deern, emma hagedorn, fair shops, furniture, knot bracelet, sustainable shop

Fair shops to see: DEERN & more

I’m very happy to see that fair shops and websites continue to grow. Recently I got a press release from a new website where you can find ‘fair’ sustainable clothing and accessorizes. It’s an initiative of Annemarie de Raadt and it’s called de Goede Gids. It features every sustainable shop, brand and web store in Holland where they sell sustainable fair fashion (over 500 addresses are included). And in Ter Aar a new sustainable living store opened its doors. It’s called Cin in Wonen (the owner’s name is Cindy Buijsse): a space of 450 square meters where you can find vintage, antique, brocante and trendy furniture & accessories. Another great tip online is a webstore called Deern. It sells beautiful unique items for children, accessories and small items for your home. It designs and produces all its items in Holland in small quantities. If you are looking for a unique gift for the holidays make sure to pay them a visit. Emma Hagedorn, owner of Deern, was so kind to send me a knot bracelet to review, one of their unique selfmade designs, I love it! It reminds me of my father who actually taught me this knot on our […]

mrt 09

by Donata van der Rassel in Ethical, Fashion, Lifestyle, Textiles 0 comments tags: fair-trade, fashion, frankie magazine, max osterweis, suno ny

(Fair) Fashion: Suno NY

I discovered the brand SUNO in the January/ February issue of Frankie magazine. I just love their use of color, the loose beautiful silky fabrics and their feminine style. Behind the brand of SUNO lies an interesting and fair story: “SUNO is a New York based womenswear label founded in 2008 by Max Osterweis in collaboration with designer Erin Beatty. The collection was launched in Spring 2009 after post-election violence threatened to damage the economy and industry in Kenya, a long time second home to Osterweis. Using vintage Kenyan textiles that Osterweis had been collecting for years, they created their first small collection, produced predominantly in Kenya. Since its inception, SUNO has evolved its business to include production in Kenya, India, Peru and its home base of New York. Via a combination of traditional, local techniques and high-end tailoring, as well as an emphasis on fit and fabric, SUNO is able to offer a global, unique view of the luxury world in an accessible way. SUNO currently offers a jewelry collaboration with Pamela Love, as well as a capsule footwear collection with Nicholas Kirkwood shoes, incorporating the unique prints and fabrics of the collection into each design to maintain the same optimistic, fresh, and slightly […]

Modefabriek 2013 #1

Last monday I went to the January edition of the Modefabriek in Amsterdam. I have been fortunate enough to attend the last two editions too, so by now I have a pretty good idea which areas I have to check out. I have to see MINT (with ambassador Egbert-Jan Weeber) of course and another area called Trash and Treasures which is pretty cool and a little bit edgy. I like the fair, clean and hip environment of MINT. Actually maybe it’s even my most favorite part of the fair. But I have to say I also get really inspired by the ‘Garage Sale Extraordinare’ where thirty sellers are handpicked to showcase (and sell!!) their handmade, vintage or young designer fashion and accessories. For me the Modefabriek was all about the details this edition. So lots of accessories and small details that caught my eye. I have posted some pics on Instagram too and will highlight some new brands the coming weeks. {1. Modefabriek promo photo / 2. Options department store selection in MINT area / 3. *eco* People Tree dress designed by Peter Jensen / 4. *eco* Granny’s Finest selection of knitwear in MINT area / 5. *eco* O My Bag […]

nov 07

Book: talking dress

As promised here, I would like to tell you about this great book I published recently. It’s called talking dress and discusses fair fashion and lifestyle in great detail, it has loads of practical tips and DIY’s, interviews and a fair shopping guide. About a month ago we had the book launch and it really was a huge pleasure to see the end result (the book we had all worked so hard on) and to celebrate. Actress Sanne Vogel came to receive the first copy of the book and we had great music by Mees. If you would like to see photo’s of the launch please check the FB page of talking dress (and make sure to like it!). And of course I would like to recommend you buy the book (for all Dutch and Belgian readers) and / or buy the app (also available for Android)! Talking dress was written by Marieke Eyskoot with beautiful full-colour illustrations by Koosje Ruijgrok. The book design was by Bonny Smit and it was printed on FSC qualified paper with eco ink. Although it was a time consuming project, it has really been a labor of love by all of us and it has been great […]

sep 20

by Donata van der Rassel in Conscious life, Design, Ethical, Fashion, Lifestyle 0 comments tags: andy rementer, esprit, fair fashion, illustration, julia mackenroth, limited edition royal college of art, rachel hall, ryan mercer, sustainable

Fashion: Esprit RCA limited edition

Yesterday I was in Amsterdam to eat sushi with one of my friends when I came across the ESPRIT shop. Their window display immediately stopped me in my tracks because it was made up of really beautiful clothes and amazing illustration art. I must confess I haven’t been in an ESPRIT shop for ages, but these clothes were simply amazing. I found out they have been made in a limited edition only in a collaboration with the Royal College of Art. In the words of ESPRIT: “Graduating RCA students were asked to create a collection that broached the question of whether fashion can be truly sustainable. The collection was also to reflect the zeitgeist of the student’s generation.” Three collections were chosen, the one by Julia Mackenroth, Ryan Mercer and Rachel Hall. The playful illustration work of Andy Rementer was used to visualize the campaign. For me this collection embraces everything I think is important in fashion: wearable, timeless and creative pieces. What’s even more great is that it’s a truly sustainable eco friendly collection!

mrt 02

by Donata van der Rassel in Conscious life, Decorating, Design, Ethical, Illustration, Kindred spirits 2 comments tags: adonde, babongo, charlie & mary, creatables, i love eco, jurrianne matter, little green dress, nicole blaak, piri piru, strawberry earth, tamasyn gambell

Kindred Spirits #1- Babongo

Today marks the beginning of a new series I’m starting on my blog: kindred spirits. In this series I interview the person behind a small business or blog that I find inspiring and whose message I would like to support or whose story I would like to share. I am starting off with Babongo, an ecofriendly webshop run by Nicole Blaak. I asked her some questions and she was so kind to answer them. Could you tell me something about the person behind the webshop Babongo? My name is Nicole Blaak, creative, idealist optimist with a passion for beautiful things, travelling and nature. But I’m also an incredible homebody, I love settling myself on the couch with a cup of tea and a good book. I can do nothing really well! When did you start Babongo? The idea for Babongo started at the end of 2010 and in june of 2011 Babongo went online. In between […]