Cassandra Daily:
‘Fair trade’ has become a widely recognized ethical badge among coffee drinkers and, though its standards have long been applied to products other than java as well, most consumers don’t seek it out when it comes to home goods. Revered Dutch designer Piet Hein Eek is seeking to popularize socially and environmentally responsible design practices through a basket collection he designed for nonprofit organization Fair Trade Original. Implementing Eek’s designs, Vietnamese artisans working in a family-owned workshop upcycle imperfect breadboards, made from palm wood slabs, into elegantly linear baskets. Shapes and sizes vary, including fruit bowls, serving trays and waste bins.
