Portland-based designer Aurelie Tu has teamed up with the YWCA women's shelter to create Crafted Systems, beautiful hand-interlocked felt objects. This project is helping women in transition develop skills and become economically empowered. Using a base of 7 interlocking shapes, all of the objects are crafted with 100% natural wool felt. Pure materials and a simple, honest concept.
Crafted Systems strives to help us enjoy handcrafted objects in today's industrial driven society. The women that make these items work in a collaborative environment where they combine award-winning design with innovative weaving techniques. This work is a creative outlet for many of these women to pass on knowledge and develop new skills.
Their natural texture and geometric, modern design combine to make these objects stand apart from the rest. Their first collection includes a selection of felt vessels, table pieces, lights, floor and wall systems.
Images: Crafted Systems
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Comments (4)
I got all excited and went directly to the website hoping to purchase one of their items.
Sadly I think the cost is prohibitive.
Here in the PNW there is a big market for beautiful objects with a beautiful background story, but I find the sort of folks that will go out of their way to spend a little extra on home goods with a conscious probably don't have this kind of scratch.
I live up in Seattle. WA state has the biggest number of non profits per-capita... which means alot of people work FOR a non-profit. I'll keep an eye out and hope with increased production the price comes down a bit.
These are BEAUTIFUL and I'd love to own any one of them.
I agree - beautiful but totally out of my budget.
I just made some bowls out of clay that look just like the first picture! I was going for a pineapple look haha!
I believe in the cause but the price point makes it seem like a sham. Who is really profiting here? I am a fabric artist and I know what the materials cost. I can imagine the labor cost, as well. That means that the mark up is still very high. Very affluent people can feel good about their conscious aesthetic choices. The rest of us can DIO.