On creating Eco-luxurious goods with Verdi
Colombia, with a long artisanal handmade tradition is taking advantage of their ancestral know-how and inherently sustainable ways of producing. One perfect example is VERDI, the successful textile studio who has given a smart final product that brings this tradition into unique home, fashion and art pieces.
We interviewed them to understand their own approach and vision towards sustainability.
Text by Laura Cabezas
Photographs cortesy of @verdidesign
Who is VERDI?
VERDI is a Colombian textile studio that reinterprets tradition to create unique home, fashion and art pieces by intertwining natural fibres with metals.
Handcrafted, artisan work has always been a valued asset in high standard products. Nowadays, however, consumers demand more environmentally conscious means which don’t sacrifice aesthetics. When and how was the concern around sustainability incorporated into VERDI’s manifesto?
As a hand-sourced, handmade studio, VERDI thrives to include sustainable practices in its sourcing and production processes.
Our pieces have always been handmade and our fique fibre has always been sourced through the same process. In a way, sustainability has inevitably always been at the heart of the brand and a part of our core. We employ highly qualified individuals in an ideal work and positive environment, almost 20 weavers whose expertise is the result of generations of practice, patience and consistency.
We have, however, as of a couple of years, identified the genuine need to update or reinstate additional sustainable practices in more steps of our process. It is an ongoing team effort; every day brings new challenges and we’re still learning, but we hope to continue figuring out new ways to be actively aware, conscious and responsible through our work.
Tell us more about the Eco-Dying program, what’s the process behind it and the benefits it brings to apply this type of techniques in the industry?
In 2019 we started our Eco-Friendly Dye Project, through which we have been attempting to develop a series of VERDI-exclusive colors, all dyed through an environmentally friendly process that not only improves the dyer’s welfare and reduces footprint, but also guarantees higher color durability.
By working hand in hand with “La Maestra” –a master dyer whose life-long goal has been to develop environmentally-friendly pigments and procedures to dye fibres–, and by having our team travel to Curití several times a year, we have been implementing an educational program through which families of dyers in the area may learn to dye differently. This new process entails more steps, different requirements and additional resources and hence training has been challenging but exciting. We are currently in the process of partnering up with academic and governmental institutions to guarantee the project’s accurate execution and completion.
Something that’s not frequently talked about is the fact that you support 25 low-income families providing jobs through VERDI. What are the guarantees and benefits they receive with this project?
We proudly support more than 25 families of farmers in Curití, Colombia, where we source our main fibres. These families are taught to grow, cut, comb, dry, dye and process the fibers until made into the threads we use at our workshop. In order to preserve crops and harvest our fibers in a sustainable fashion, only the exterior leaves of the plant are extracted, thus allowing them to continue to grow.
By working with these 25 families, VERDI has helped bring back a tradition in an area that would have otherwise been subtly diluted. By supporting the continuity of this craft and agricultural practice, VERDI also guarantees an honest, stable, secure income to a remote community. Last but not least, through the implementation of educational campaigns and the supply of resources that change the way these communities operate, VERDI is also working to improve their welfare and overall conditions.
VERDI has managed to introduce different disciplines into their designs, oscillating between the worlds of fashion, homeware and art. How has this process converged with the idea of keeping a sustainable philosophy in such competitive markets?
As mentioned, it all resonates back to the process. Regardless of whether we’re crafting home, fashion or art pieces, we’ll always be connected to our handmade manner and our unbelievable team of master weavers. Then again, we’ll always be looking forward to sourcing sustainably and finding new and improved ways of conceding innovation within these competitive markets and industries.
You’ve proved that “eco” doesn’t have to sacrifice luxury. Which elements do you find essential for an idea of a sustainable luxury brand to become a profitable business, especially in Latin America?
The “eco-friendly” feature has not only become trendy, but it is increasingly being demanded by customers and usually even seen as inherent to “handmade”. So, in a way, it is not that we’ve had to sacrifice luxury or sustainability, but instead, consumer behaviours have shifted in favour of a more sustainable approach to luxury.
How did it affect the form of production and promotion of your products?
It was more about accurately communicating our traditional processes rather than replacing our changing production. Specifically, this concern has had a major effect on how our team approaches the subject of sustainability; the brand has evolved to promoting an inner culture of consciousness that connects production, design, marketing and other areas, to overall intended responsibility. Today at VERDI, we are all very much aware –more so than before–, of the need to look into sustainability trends, to do research and development on new materials and processes, to continue to speak transparently about our work and continue to guarantee utmost conditions for all those involved, among many other things.
What are the principles you think any brand should follow when having a similar initiative in mind?
Staying true to your DNA and having a genuine –not just business-oriented– approach to sustainability.
What is the relationship between the brand and the ancestral traditions that are included in your handcrafted designs? How do you let them speak through your work?
VERDI reinterprets traditional techniques and uses contemporary, unique and unexpected materials to craft objects that carry every bit of the quality and ease inherent to the luxury market. Several of the patterns and concepts upon which we weave our rugs are reinstated from local indigenous literature. Similarly, a few of our patterns have been reinterpreted from indigenous weaves that may date back to 150 BC. On the other hand, our VERDI Mochilas are also the reinterpretation of the Colombian ethnical mochila, but all that has remained in it has been the name and the shape, as both its techniques and materials have evolved into more contemporary scenes.
Do you think Is ECO the “new Luxury”?
Definitely. The industry’s all-time consumerism has been starting to evolve into a more slow-paced, mindful, guilt-free consumption of conscious goods. People are starting to prefer unique handmade over traditional branded luxury and are becoming more and more aware of the need to be thorough and demanding when it comes to the back-ends of every product. At VERDI, we believe that when handmade is truly unique and exceptional, it automatically and romantically becomes today’s ultimate luxury.