Back in December, my Art Director, Matt, plunked down a copy of Creative Review on his desk and my audible gasp echoed through the open-plan office, possibly mistaken for a fire alarm test…
This striking cover was immediately recognisable to me as the work of Sanna Annukka, one of my all-time favourite designers.
Flicking to find out the why and wherefore, I discovered that it was the design for a rug that was being made for Fair Trade Fortnight event through London’s Design Museum.
I further went on to discover that the rug is being made by Node, this amazing non-profit social business that creates beautiful hand-made rugs.
Via the talented and ethical hands of designer/illustrator Chris Haughton, the rugs are hand-made in Nepal by Kumbeshwar, a founder member of Fair Trade Nepal, and their employees are taught literacy and skills, given fair wages and their work supports a school of 260 children and an orphanage of nineteen. Amazing.
It seems loads of talented designers, including Petra Börner, Micah Lidberg, Donna Wilson and Chris Haughton himself, have applied their skills to rug design for this cause, and a limited run of ten of each of the rugs are going to be for sale from the 5th March at the Design Museum. So get yourself down there, or see more at madebynode.com.
Unable to afford the Sanna Annukka rug (as much as I want it I want it I want it!), I am actually toying with designing my own rug and asking node to make it. Stay tuned…
Tags: Design Museum, Fair Trade Fortnight, fair trade rugs, madebynode.com, node
Oh ah, that rug is divine. Love the idea of bespoke rug (and of you sounding like a fire alarm in the office)… or pehaps you could make your own you’re that crafty.
wow ! Your very own rug – that would be amazing