Example: Escama Studio

Escama Studio, a collaborative design studio based in San Francisco and Brasilia, specializes in high-end accessories which combine traditional crochet techniques with a modern design.

Brazilians traditionally used crochet as an inexpensive way to create clothing and other items. In 2004, Escama Studio started working with 12 artisans to design a crocheted handbag using recycled soda can tabs, an inexpensive material that littered the streets. The result was what Elle, Trend Forecaster, Oprah Magazine, Time Out Hong Kong, and numerous other publications in the United States, Europe, and Asia have called ‘a sleek line of women’s accessories.’

Now, the company works with more than 100 women from two different cooperatives and had produced more than 70,000 bags. The artisans pick up materials and orders at the cooperative, but the nature of the work allows them to crochet at home to be near their children and families, preserving another important piece of traditional lifestyle.

To learn more about their work in Principle 9 and all the Principles, visit EscamaStudio.com