Meet the Makers – Essensory

The home is the heart and soul of the family and the pieces we fill it with each tell little stories about who lives there, their sense of taste and style and the things that inspire them. This is why we are so proud to announce Essensory, a new brand born from a vision to blend natural, eco friendly materials with leading classical and contemporary graphics. Essensory’s first collection is a selection of clever little tote bags and cushions that showcase designs from some of our favourite designers.

We have gained so much from the very start of this project and we wanted to share the wonderful story of how it has come to life, from its first thread to its final print.

We began by searching for our favourite designs from the collection of works on paper from our many talented artists. We chose designs that begged to find expression on fabric as well as their existing expression on paper products.

The first series comes from the tiny studio in ancient York of Scottish born artist and mother, Laura Park (aka Dear Prudence). Laura, who produces pencil and ink illustrations of animals and nature. There is always a sense of innocence and charm in the animal expressions that she creates.  

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The second series came from scouring the London Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture’s rich archive of wallpapers and tapestries, many of which have shaped and influenced home decoration for generations.  The designs we’ve used for this first set of products were chosen for their timeless quality and vibrant colours.  The results testify to how beautiful and impactful classical graphics can be in the right context.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally a bespoke series from the fabulous Californian illustrator Carolyn Suzuki. Carolyn draws inspiration from our past, present and by her little sons’ imaginations. Her pieces are whimsical, thoughtful, bold and truly unique.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sustainable, natural, eco-friendly materials are at the heart of the Essensory ethos.  We are committed to achieving harmony between the best of nature and the best of humanity.  The vast majority of printed fabric products in the world use polyester – a cheap, durable, synthetic fiber derived from oil, petrol and water.  Using these carbon rich materials, there is no way for this compound to breakdown organically, meaning that once it has been created, the process cannot be reversed.  Polyester is widely recognised as a much better medium for reproducing bold colours and graphics than our chosen fabric, cotton.  So we curated our designs with reproduction on cotton in mind.  Our cushion fill is also ethical – while over 80% of the world’s cushions are filled with polyester, we use 100% recycled PET with the option of a luxurious down/feather blend.  

The choice of India as our country of manufacture was easy – it is the beating heart of the global hand crafted textile industry and it’s unabashed passion for vivid, dynamic colours in everything from food to fabric is renowned.  But like all developing countries, India struggles with the demand for low production costs from first world consumers and the desire to improve the lives of its workforce. To craft a brand with ethics, the ethics must extend to our production partners.  We undertook a rigorous search process before selecting our manufacturer and spent hours on the factory floor to ensure that not only was quality control exceptional, it was an ethical, healthy, happy environment for the staff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The factory is an open book, as these shots demonstrate.  Located in one of the greener suburbs of one of India’s biggest cities, it is well ventilated with comfortable work spaces and the quality working conditions.  The staff of 40 work eight and a half hours a day, with breaks for morning and afternoon tea and lunch.  We are so excited that these workers are not only enjoying fair, ongoing employment, but that together we can imagine and share a vision.

Stage 1: Checking the fabric quality before printing is essential for achieving a consistent print result.  Every metre of every roll is inspected for irregularities before being printed.  

Stage 2: Each piece of printed fabric is checked for imperfections such as bleed and density of colour.

Stage 3: The cushions and totes are then sewn together.

Stage 4: After the cushions and totes have been assembled they are checked for any loose threads or stitches.

Stage 5: The finished product is given a final quality check and then ironed before it is packed for shipping.

 

We are so pleased to be able to share this project with you, it has been a wonderful journey of inspiration, creation and growth. Already, we are hard at work on the next chapter for this new brand and we hope you can share in our excitement!

Start a conversation with us for more information at social@vevoke.com